Awakening
by PJOHoOHG
Summary: Rose is turned into a Strigoi. (Takes place during Blood Promise.)
1. Death

**Chapter 1: Death**

**Rose's POV**

I was so drained of blood that I could barely think straight. Dimitri was getting so nervous in his desperation that he'd taken just a little too much blood this time.

"Roza, tell me you want me to awaken you." Dimitri begged.

Dimitri didn't seem to realize that he'd put a little compulsion into that statement. I'd never get out of Galina's Hotel Hell now—because I was weak enough to fall prey to his compulsion.

"Yes, awaken me." I said.

Dimitri smiled in a way that reminded me of his excited smile, except it was tainted by the fact that Strigoi didn't really feel anything. He sank his teeth into me and proceeded to suck me dry. I wouldn't be awake for the part when he fed it back to me. The world started to go black around me.

**Lissa's POV**

"NO!" I screamed.

"What?!" Christian immediately ignored the fact that we were in class and ran to my side. "What, Lissa?!"

"No, no, no..." I kept repeating.

"What's wrong?" Mr. Ellsworth was substituting for our teacher. "Ms. Dragomir? Mr. Ozera?"

"What's wrong, Lissa?" Christian asked.

"The bond... I could always vaguely feel it..." I mumbled. "It's gone... I can't feel her anymore... Rose is dead."

Christian's eyes widened and the rest of the class' followed. "Liss... Rose can't be dead. She might not succeed on her mission, but she isn't capable of dying. It's not something she'd let happen."

I grabbed Christian's shirt collar. "The only other time I haven't been able to feel the bond was when she was drunk, and even then I knew she was drunk. This time is different... I can't feel her at all."

"Ms. Dragomir... perhaps you should see Headmistress Kirova. She and Rose's mother might want to know about this." Mr. Ellsworth suggested.

He liked Rose. Everyone secretly or not-so-secretly liked Rose. And now she was dead... I started to sob as Christian led me to Kirova's office.


	2. Awakening

**Chapter 2: Awakening**

**Rose's POV**

When I was conscious again, I felt different. I felt energetic and ready to kick ass. But I also felt like I'd lost something important to me. I decided to ignore that and focus on the good feelings I had.

"Hello, Roza." Dimitri was lying next to me.

As I looked at him, I noticed that his coloring was more vibrant. The red rings around his eyes that had once filled me with fear were now attractive to me. I could also smell more than usual, so the smell of Dimitri was even more heady than it had been in the past.

"Hey." I said confidently, an odd tone of coldness added in. "Why do I feel so... good?"

Dimitri smiled. "You've been awakened, Roza. Now you understand what I've been trying to tell you—that immortality is worth sacrifice."

I felt my neck and realized that rather than the multiple punctures I remembered, there was only a set of small fang marks from where Dimitri had last bitten me. The blood on my neck wasn't from a continuous flow anymore, it was just left over from before.

I looked around the room and stared in awe. It was so much more vibrant and bright than I remembered. It was like looking through rose colored glasses at a room that you knew normally looked nothing like this. Dimitri had described this before, in the maze.

"Dimitri, I'm not going to wait anymore. Either kill her or awaken her. Now." Galina burst in the room. When she saw me, she dawned a cold smile. "Ah, I see you've already completed your task."

"Is it day or night?" I asked.

"Night." Galina smirked as if she knew why I was asking.

I immediately leapt off the bed and out of the room. My speed was much faster than any Moroi or Dhampir could ever hope to achieve. I got a mix of surprised and amused looks from other Strigoi on my way out.

When I finally got outside, I looked around in wonder at all the beautiful flowers and other plants in the maze. The sense of beauty was so overwhelming that I spun around, basking in the glory of what I'd become. I was immortal. I could be with Dimitri forever. Literally.

"It feels good, doesn't it?" Galina interrupted my reverie. "You can practically feel the immortality surging through your veins."

I stared up at the moon, the only source of bright light I'd ever be able to look at again now that the sun was off limits. "It's funny how they threaten people with the idea of never being able to see a sunrise again. I could go forever without seeing it again."

"I hope she doesn't end up being one of those Strigoi who constantly has an out of it mental state. She could actually be useful when she gets back to a rational state." Galina seemed to be talking to someone else.

"She's new. You'll have to give her a few days at the most." Dimitri chuckled. "God knows I was like that when I was awakened."

"Fine. I'll see her in a few days. Take that time to teach her how to hunt and control her hunger enough not to kill all of our human servants." Galina said.

"Understood." Dimitri said.

I suddenly felt hungry. "Can we hunt now?"

Dimitri laughed. "We should get you clean first. You'll scare away the humans before we get close enough with all that blood on you."

He took my hand and led me back inside. I suddenly felt a wave of sadness coming from Lissa.

"Huh, I can still feel the bond. That's strange." I laughed.

"Perhaps you were already so close with death in life that this new state doesn't change anything." Dimitri suggested.

"Maybe." I agreed.

We reached the bedroom again. The sheets from the bed were gone—no doubt to wash away the blood. Dimitri prodded me into the bathroom so I could use it's shower.

"Care to join me?" I offered seductively. "The fact that I wasn't awakened was the only thing holding you back, right"

Dimitri smiled and followed me into the shower.

**Lissa's POV**

"You... you're sure Rose is dead?" Rose's mother sounded like she was holding back tears.

"She was. But now... I can feel her in my head again. But it feels more cold now, whereas it was a warm feeling before. There's something wrong." I said.

We were in a much smaller office than Kirova's old one. Mr. Lazar had taken that one over. Avery invited herself along, saying she wouldn't tell her father that we went to Kirova first.

"Wrong in what way, exactly?" Kirova asked.

"She was dead. I know she was. But now she's something different. It feels dark and twisted. I don't want to think this, since the bond is only supposed to go one way, but... I think Rose might be a Strigoi." I was still crying.

"Rose might be reckless, but she couldn't let herself become Strigoi. She's stronger than that and she'd let herself die first..." Rose's mother insisted.

"You all need to stop holding her up to a pedestal!" I exclaimed. "She might be a better guardian than anyone I've met, but even I recognize the fact that she's still half human. She can do a lot of things, but she has weaknesses just like any other human. I've been with her when she's at her strongest and when she's at her weakest. And Dimitri is probably the biggest weakness she has, because she loves him!"

Kirova's eyes widened. "By love, you mean...?"

"She had a crush on him that turned into more when she figured out he felt the same way. She slept with him just before the attack on the school. She looked like she was going to die when she found out he was captured and turned." I ranted. "She wanted to stake him, but she's not sone superhero. He might have turned her Strigoi..."

"Rose and Dimitri definitely felt something for each other..." Alberta admitted. "I wasn't aware that they were close enough to have slept together, but they definitely cared about each other."

Rose's mother finally cracked and started to cry. "She might be a Strigoi..."

"One of you should have said something about Rose's feelings. We could have set measures to keep her in the school whether she signed those papers or not." Kirova said. "And Alberta... you should have said something as soon as you recognized it."

"I guess I'm not getting that date after all..." Adrian made a joke to cover his remorse.

"Well, we can't do anything now. It's her own fault for getting involved with him, then thinking she could go after him. We can't do anything other than have her funeral." Avery attempted to put compulsion on me.

"Fuck off, Avery!" I growled. "You don't know Rose like we did, so you can't imagine how insensitive that is to anyone who cares about her. And don't ever try to compel me again."

Avery backed away a little. Everyone else looked surprised by my uncharacteristic use of vulgarity.

"Calm down, Lissa." Christian put an arm around me. "We can't do anything right now. Let's just get you some sleep and see what we can do later."

"Do you seriously think I'll be able to sleep?" I sniffled.

"We could sedate you." Alberta offered. "We'll even excuse you from other classes."

"Telling a woman to calm down only makes her angrier." I pounded on Christian's chest as he pulled me closer.

"I know." He stroked my back and kissed my head.


	3. Hunting

**Chapter 3: Hunting**

**Rose's POV**

Sex as a Strigoi was... fun. Dimitri was right about heightened senses. We were lying on the bed together, naked.

"If you get dressed now, I can take you out for a hunt." Dimitri offered.

I smiled seductively. "What, you don't want to play with me here?"

"You'll be hungry, Roza. Now get dressed in the clothes I had laid out for your hunt." Dimitri smirked.

I spotted some clothes that looked like something I'd have worn on a Strigoi hunt—jeans, a shirt, and a jacket. We both knew I couldn't hunt in a dress.

"Fine." I pouted.

As soon as I pulled my clothes back on, Dimitri pushed me against the wall and kissed me.

"You know, you're only tempting me to undress again." I teased.

"Follow me. And for once... try to do as I say." Dimitri grinned.

"I'll try, Comrade." I smirked.

I followed him through the hallways of Hotel Hell until we reached the front doors. Nathan and Inna were standing there.

"Taking your pet out for dinner?" Nathan smirked.

"I'm nobody's pet." I glared at him.

"I'm sure, feeder." Nathan teased.

I almost attacked him, but Dimitri held me back. "She could kill you fairly easily considering her training and the burst of energy she'll have over the next few weeks. Watch it."

I barely focused on the banter they engaged in as I stared at Inna. I could hear her heart beating and could practically see the rise and fall of her chest. All that blood tempted me to the extent that I couldn't control myself. I launched forward and bit into her neck.

"Hey, she's mine!" Nathan shouted.

Inna screamed something in Russian.

"Rose, we're not supposed to eat the servants!" Dimitri exclaimed.

Nathan tried to pull me away from Inna, but I just pushed him and he was flung across the room. Dimitri didn't try very hard to pull me off either. I continued sucking out her blood until... there was none. I pulled back and saw that I'd sucked her dry, a look of fear in her dead eyes. I would have felt bad about this as a Dhampir, but as a Strigoi... I laughed.

"No! My feeder!" Nathan exclaimed, pushing me aside.

"What do you think you're doing?" Galina waltzed into the room.

"Feeding." I said casually. "Besides, she helped Nathan try to kill me."

Galina took one look at me and smiled. "You're first kill, and you're not even messy."

I looked down and realized that I hadn't let one drop of blood escape. The only signs that I'd fed were a few drops of blood on my face. I wiped them off. "I was taught to control my kills."

That was technically true—but I was referring to killing Strigoi.

"Maybe you won't have to train her after all, Dimitri." Galina smirked. "It appears you did a pretty good job before your awakening."

Dimitri smiled. "What is the next step, then?"

"We're going to make plans." Galina said vaguely. "Follow me."

We followed Galina into a room that looked like a library with french doors. There was a fire roaring on one side of the room, a couch and a coffee table next to it. The fire seemed strange for a Strigoi lair, but I didn't question it.

"Now that I have two of you, I can formulate a better plan for breaking into St. Vladimir's Academy." Galina pointed to papers on the coffee table.

It looked like she was making a battle plan. "Why would you want to do that?"

"Because the Dragomir princess is a big catch even to us. I wouldn't even consider it, but I have two people who know the school very well now, and you two were also the closest to her. We may have a real chance." Galina said.

"They just recently got attacked by a local group of Strigoi. They'll be building their defenses to greater heights. And the princess always seems to escape from every peril." Dimitri pointed out.

"Because she had you two protecting her! And with the way my plan will work, no one will see us coming." Galina said.

"Explain your plan, then." I said.

Dimitri nodded in agreement with me.

"We'll know where most of the points of vulnerability are—thanks to Dimitri—and we'll probably learn a few more from Rose. And we'll send humans to break the wards—because the two of you will show us where they are. Then you two will lead me and some other select Strigoi to places that are less guarded so we can reach the princess faster. And since they don't know Rose is a Strigoi, she can get us in through the front gate." Galina explained.

"But they'll notice, especially when they look into my eyes." I pointed out.

"We'll put makeup on you to cover the paleness, you'll act like your Dhampir self, and you'll wear sunglasses to cover the red eyes." Galina shrugged. "What do you think?"

Dimitri pondered the thought.

My answer was more instantaneous. "I'm in."

**Lissa's POV**

I woke up a couple of hours later with Christian watching me sleep.

"I guess that sedative worked, huh?" I asked.

"Actually, it should have lasted longer." Christian smirked. "Kirova said we should go back to her office when you wake up."

"Okay." I got up.

I followed Christian to Kirova's office. Avery was gone, but everyone else remained. There were also a few new additions. A girl with a golden lily tattoo on her cheek and a man wearing a colorful scarf. He reminded me of someone I knew...

"Lissa, we have some news." Kirova frowned.

"What is it?" I asked fearfully.

"We're not sure what exactly happened to Rose, but the last people to see her said she disappeared in Novosibirsk." The scarved man said. "So, your Rose's best friend who I've heard so much about."

There was a mischievous look in his eyes that oddly made me want to trust him. "Who's mentioned me?"

"Janine. Rose." The man said.

"Who are you to Rose and her mother?" I questioned.

"I'm Rose's father, but she doesn't know that." The man said. "I'm Abe Mazur."

"Rose doesn't know you, but she's talked about me?" I ignored my shock.

"I'd only been around her a few days, so I didn't figure dropping the father bomb would have helped my case in getting her home. I actually convinced her to leave where she was, but she used my wording against me and only left from there. I never specified her having to come back to the Academy. She truly is my daughter." Abe sighed.

"Okay, so aside from meeting her father and not knowing it, what other news do we have?" I asked. "Why did she go to Novosibirsk?"

"I was sent by my people—the Alchemists—to escort Rose to where she was going. I escorted her to Baia." The girl with the golden lily tattoo said.

"What's an Alchemist?" I questioned.

"An Alchemist is a human who keeps the Moroi hidden in exchange for us staying away from humans." Rose's mom explained.

"Why did you need to escort her? What was in Baia? And why did she go to Novosibirsk?" I interrogated.

"My superiors told me to escort her so I could cover up her trail of Strigoi bodies. And Baia is Dimitri's hometown, so she figured he'd go back there. She didn't find him, but she connected with his family pretty quickly." The Alchemist girl explained.

"They practically dubbed her his widow." Abe scoffed. "And the only reason she left Baia was because she made a deal with me that protected one of the Belikova sisters."

"Anyway, she left with a group of rogue Strigoi hunters because she probably figured she could get information faster. One of them said she was with them for a few weeks, but then she disappeared in Novosibirsk a few weeks ago." She elaborated. "I... I hope she's okay. I don't normally like vampires, but she really grew on me."

"What does this mean?" I asked.

"I'm planning on sending some guardians after her, one of them probably being Stan." Kirova answered.

Then her phone rang. Kirova pushed the speaker button. "Hello?"

"Kirova?" Rose's voice sounded cracked with sadness.

"Rose!" I exclaimed, relief flooding me.

"Lissa?" Rose said.

"You're on speaker, Rose. What's going on?" Kirova asked.

"I... I succeeded. I staked Dimitri..." Rose sniffled. "I want to come home now."

"Tell us where you are and we'll come get you." Rose's mom said.

"Mom...?" Rose's voice really cracked. "I've already made flight arrangements—I have Adrian's credit card. I just wanted to know if I was welcome back at the Academy."

"You'll always be welcomed back, Rose." Alberta said.

"You gave her your credit card and didn't tell us?!" Kirova glared at Adrian. "We could have tracked her down as soon as she left!"

"What can I say? I'm weak when it comes to a pretty face." Adrian shrugged.

"Thanks, Adrian. I couldn't have done it without you." Rose said. "And I'm glad to know I'm still welcome."

"Rose, that reminds me..." Adrian pondered his next words. "Why were you bloody and bruised in our last Spirit dream? And why did you scream at me to leave you alone."

Rose was silent for a moment. "Huh, the things you'll say when frustrated. And I'd recently had a run-in with a Strigoi."

"But you were wearing a dress. And the blood was coming from bite marks on your neck..." Adrian started to protest.

"I've got to go." Rose said abruptly. "I have to call my Alchemist friend."

"Rose, I'm here." The Alchemist girl said.

"Oh, hey Sydney. I guess I'll call Abe then." Rose laughed halfheartedly.

"I'm here too, Rose." Abe said.

"I'll call Mark and Oksana, then." Rose said. "What are you doing there, Zmey?"

"Helping your friends find you. Looks like we were successful." Abe said.

"Well, bye guys. I'll see you in a few days." Rose abruptly hung up.

"Zmey?" I questioned.

"It means snake in Russian. It's Abe's nickname." Sydney shrugged.

My best friend was coming home. Maybe then I'd understand what was wrong with the bond.


	4. Training

**Chapter 4: Training**

**Rose's POV**

"You need to control how much blood you take." Dimitri said. "Bite into him slowly and suck slowly."

"How do you expect someone as impulsive as me to be slow?" I scoffed.

"Because I'll pull you away if you go too far." Dimitri said.

I shrugged and slowly bit into Oleg's neck. He sighed happily. He was Galina's human servant, and she was lending him to me for feeding practice.

"Good, stay slow." Dimitri praised.

I sucked his blood slowly, not wanting to face Dimitri's wrath. If he could throw me around when I was a Dhampir, I didn't want to know what he'd do when I was a Strigoi.

"Alright, stop. Galina will want him alive." Dimitri gripped my arm.

I pulled back, Oleg whimpering as I did.

"Now, show me how you'll react to Lissa when you get back. Remember your practice." Dimitri instructed.

I put on my best "I miss you" face and forced fake tears into my eyes. "Liss, I missed you so much. It was horrible to have to stake Dimitri..."

I surged forward to embrace Dimitri the way I'd do to Lissa.

Dimitri laughed coldly. "Very good. Do something similar when you see your mother."

"After the attack is over... what are we going to do? Stay with Galina? Or run away like I've sometimes pictured? It's nice to have her protection, but we both know I'm an independent soul." I said.

"What, is this world not big enough for the both of you?" Dimitri smirked.

"Slow your roll, cowboy." I slapped his arm. "I'm just saying that being under someone's wing isn't exactly what I pictured."

"What about me?" Dimitri scoffed.

"Aside from you." I smiled. "You're the only exception."

He kissed me passionately. Somehow... it didn't seem as passionate as our kisses during life. I chose to ignore that fact and deepen the kiss.

"Don't make me hose you two down." Nathan said.

"He'll be the first person I'll want to kill if we ever leave Galina." I whispered as quietly as possible to Dimitri.

Nathan didn't hear me, but Dimitri chuckled softly. "Perhaps."

"Galina wants all of us to get ready and get on the plane. The flight's going to take about twelve hours." Nathan said.

"Oleg!" Dimitri snapped him out of his reverie. "Get the truck full of coffins to the front door so we don't burn to death in the sunshine."

Oleg immediately got up and obeyed Dimitri's orders.

"I still can't believe we're using coffins." I laughed coldly.

"It will keep the sun off us even if the truck has to be opened, so it works perfectly." Dimitri shrugged.

I followed him as Strigoi loaded themselves one by one into the coffins on the truck. Galina had enough Strigoi for a small army.

"Are we going on a human flight?" I questioned.

"It's a human airline." Dimitri admitted. "But the captain and all of the flight attendants are our human servants, and Galina's booked the flight so there will be no random citizens onboard—especially since the plane won't stop until we reach Montana."

"Get in." Galina ordered as she got into one of the coffins.

Dimitri and I took a set of coffins that were right next to each other.

"Rest yourself, Roza." Dimitri smirked.

"You, too." I grinned.

He shut his coffin and I followed his example. The next twelve hours were going to be spent in darkness, so I decided to check on Lissa.

"Christian, I can't sleep. Not when Rose could be here any minute." Lissa yawned as she tried to get up.

"Lay back down on your bed." Christian insisted. "It's the middle of the night for us, and you'll need rest for when Rose actually gets here. You can't keep going to the front gate to wait for her."

"But I _need_ Rose..." Lissa protested.

"She's not here yet." Christian reminded her. "Now go to sleep."

She was going to need sleep if she planned on getting away from me when she finally figured out the truth.

"Fine." Lissa yawned. "Goodnight, Christian."

"Goodnight, Lissa." Christian kissed her forehead.

It was going to be fun to make one of them watch the other die.


	5. Ambush

**Chapter 5: Ambush**

**Lissa's POV**

I woke up just as the last glimmers of sunlight disappeared. It was morning for us now. Christian was lying by my side.

"Christian?" I poked him.

He blinked his eyes open. "Huh?"

"Can I go wait for Rose now, or are you going to tell me to stay here?" I teased.

"As if I could keep you from doing anything." Christian scoffed.

I smiled and kissed him. We probably would've done more than that, but there was a knock at my door.

"Yes?" I answered it.

"Kirova wants you two in her office." Adrian said. "Come on, boy toy. Don't keep her from Kirova."

Christian rolled his eyes and got up to follow me. When we got to Kirova's office, everyone from the last meeting was still there. But there were another two additions.

"Lissa, I'd like to introduce Mark and Oksana. They're friends of Rose from Baia." Abe said.

"Are you Dimitri's family?" I asked.

"No, but we're friends with them. That's how we met Rose." Mark said. "She mentioned you a lot. I'm assuming you're her bond mate?"

"I've never used that term, but I guess it's true." I shrugged.

"We were happy to hear that she was coming home to you. Shadow Kissed bond mates should stay close to each other—especially when Spirit darkness is involved. She'd recently pulled a lot of it out of you, and because you don't know how to heal that out of her yet, I had to give her a healing charm." Oksana said.

"How recently?" I questioned.

I didn't remember any recent Spirit darkness being in me or getting pulled out.

"Probably some time before she left for Russia, but there was so much left over that it was still affecting her. She'd get angry when agitated—more so than what you'd expect of someone who isn't Shadow Kissed. Rose seemed like she had more of a generally good natured personality." Mark shrugged.

"Are you two the Shadow Kissed couple Rose mentioned?" Adrian asked.

"Yes." Oksana smiled.

"When did she mention that?" I asked.

"During a Spirit dream. But she refused to tell me where they were until she was out of the area." Adrian answered.

"Why did you come all the way here?" I turned to Mark and Oksana.

"We wanted to teach you how to control and use some of your Spirit." Oksana said.

"And Abe said that Rose was going to call us, but we haven't had contact with her since before she left Baia." Mark frowned. "The only other time we've heard about her is when the Belikovas say they miss her."

I started to ponder that thought.

Oksana studied me. "You're bond... it's strange. Most bonds are warm and light—the only shadows come from Spirit darkness and how close the Shadow kissed is to death. But now... shadows are filling you're entire bond. It's like there's a dark force pushing it's way through... and it's coming from Rose."

I was going to ask her what that meant until Kirova's phone rang and startled all of us.

"Hello?" Kirova answered it.

"Ma'am... Rose Hathaway is at the front gate." A guardian said.

"Rose!" I immediately dashed out of the room to meet her.

**Rose's POV**

We'd just landed an hour earlier and I was driving a car. It was a rental that Galina had compelled the salesman to give us for free. She said I had to be the one driving and that her "select Strigoi" would be hiding in the trunk. Including her and Dimitri. She'd been serious when she suggested makeup to cover my paleness and sunglasses to cover my eyes. She'd even had Oleg attach my silver stake to my belt for effect. We'd already told the humans where they could break the wards, so we should've been able to get in undetected.

I drove up to the front gate.

"State your name and-" The guardian cut himself off. "Rose?"

All of the guardians knew me in the school by now.

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

"Kirova welcomed me back. Can I go through the gate, please?" I smiled.

The guardian dialed a number on his phone.

"Hello?" Kirova's voice cane clearly through the phone—thanks to Strigoi hearing.

"Rose Hathaway is at the front gate." He said.

"Rose!" Lissa exclaimed in the background.

"Let her in." Kirova said.

The guardian opened the gate and I pulled in. I drove the car all the way to the parking lot before I saw Lissa running towards me.

"Wait for my signal." I said to Galina—who was in the back seat.

"Hurry!" Galina whispered.

I got out of the car and started walking to Lissa. I figured I could probably just coerce her into the car and save Galina the trouble of an all-out battle, but others were trailing behind Lissa.

"Rose!" Lissa exclaimed as she practically jumped on me with a hug.

"Hey, Liss." I said in a voice that I figured I'd have used when I was alive.

"I missed you so much." Lissa started to cry.

"Me too." I managed some fake tears.

When Lissa finally released me, I noticed Christian standing in front of me awkwardly. I pulled him into a meaningful hug.

"Nice to see you, Pyro." I said.

"Nice to see you, too." Christian slowly relaxed into a smile. Then he frowned. "It must have been horrible... to stake Dimitri."

"Pretty horrible." I said with no emotion.

He took that as me avoiding pain rather than a slip in my façade.

"So, you want to be reenrolled, right?" Kirova asked.

"Yeah, Kirova, I do." I lied.

She obviously took it as the truth. Lissa was holding my hand. It was getting harder to fake my emotions. I rubbed my thumb over her hand to make it seem like I was acknowledging her.

My mom hit me harder than Lissa did with her hug. "I love you."

I'd never heard her say that before, so I really didn't know how to react. "I... love you too."

It was actually funny that the great Janine Hathaway didn't know her daughter was a Strigoi. And Lissa obviously wasn't paying attention to her best friend either. They were blinded by love for me. I was glad to know I'd no longer be blinded by that stupid emotion.

I was shocked when Adrian kissed me just after my mom pulled away. My eyes stayed wide open while his were closed. Everyone stared in either shock or amusement.

I pushed him off me. "What the hell are you doing?"

Adrian stared up at me in shock from where I'd pushed him on the ground. "Sorry... I..."

I realized he was waiting for the date I promised him for when I got back. "Sorry, Adrian. I'm just not interested in a relationship right this second. Maybe I'll consider the date in a few weeks."

"What date?!" Lissa asked.

"He'd only lend me money if I'd agree to go on a date with him when I got back." I shrugged. "But I wasn't originally planning to come back."

"I can wait a few weeks or more." Adrian shrugged. "The chase has been pretty fun so far."

"Okay, party boy." I snorted.

Then I saw Mark and Oksana. I was going to tell them hello, but then I noticed Oksana scrutinizing me and Mark getting nervous.

"What?" I asked.

"Rose... take off your sunglasses." Oksana said cautiously.

"Why would I need to do that?" My voice sounded as cold and distant as I felt.

"Rose, please just do it." Mark said, starting to grab something from his belt.

I sighed. "I was hoping this would take a little longer."

"What?" Lissa asked.

I pulled the sunglasses off and screamed, "Dimitri!"

As soon as the word left my mouth, all of the Strigoi in the trunk busted out, Dimitri amongst them. Galina came out of the back seat.

Lissa looked into my eyes and hers filled with shock and terror. "No..."

"Sorry." I pulled her to me and held the silver stake to her neck—my hand was protected from it's charm by a cloth. "Don't kill them yet! Grab them and follow me!"

The Strigoi did as I said, grabbing all of my closest friends and family but not killing them. Alberta, my mom, and Christian tried to fight back, but it was useless with how outnumbered they were. They were trapped within thirty seconds.

"Follow me. Hurry." I said as I dragged Lissa to my destination.


	6. Torture

**Chapter 6: Torture**

**Rose's POV**

I finally reached Kirova's office and pulled Lissa inside. The other Strigoi forced the rest of my friends and family into the room.

"What the-" Mr. Lazar cut himself off as soon as he recognized that we were Strigoi.

"Oh, I almost forgot that you guys got a new Headmaster after I left." I laughed coldly. "Knock him out, Dimitri—without killing him."

"Always bossy, Roza." Dimitri chuckled as he sped to Mr. Lazar and hit him over the head.

"As if you're not." I scoffed. "Alright guys, tie them to the chairs and head off to signal the others. And leave the kindergarten and elementary buildings alone."

"Why?" One asked.

"Because I said so." I glared at him.

"Galina's in charge, not you." He said.

"Actually, I've put her and Dimitri in charge for this ambush. I'm just able to override any decision she makes. But I don't really give a damn about the reasons behind her whims, so just do as she says." Galina said.

"Galina..." Alberta muttered. "Dimitri's trainer."

"As a Dhampir. But he'll always be my star pupil." Galina said.

The other Strigoi were pouring out of the room.

"May I ask a favor, Galina?" I smirked.

"Depends on the favor." She raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"Find a girl named Avery Lazar and kill her." I said.

"What's the matter, can't handle being replaced as Lissa's best friend, Rose?" Christian taunted.

"More like a grudge. I don't give a damn about Lissa's safety now, but I did in life. Avery's been slowly trying to kill Lissa, and my grudge from before my awakening is begging to be acted out now." I scoffed.

"She hasn't been trying to kill me." Lissa looked confused.

"What else do you call compelling you to do bad things and forcing me out of your head when she noticed me there?" I smirked. "Avery's a Spirit user who's trying to make you like me—well, in the sense of being Shadow Kissed."

"How do I know you're not lying to me?" Lissa demanded.

I whispered close to her ear. "Have I ever lied to you, Lissa?"

"Yes." She snorted.

"Scratch that, have I ever lied to you about something like this?" I said.

"Yes." Lissa said.

"For God's sake, I'm not lying. And why would I try to get you to believe me if I was? And the whole replacement thing doesn't work out if you consider that I'm currently soulless and want to kill you myself." I pointed out. "And why else would she try to convince you I'm nothing but a blip on your radar?"

"Prove it." Lissa said firmly.

"I love how I'm weak in the face of danger while your strong—especially since you're physically weaker." I laughed. "Fine. Galina, bring her back here so I can prove my point before you kill her."

"Don't boss me around." Galina said—even thought she left anyway.

Everyone was tied up after I tied Lissa to the Headmaster's chair. Only Dimitri and I remained in terms of Strigoi.

"Why are you keeping us and the children alive?" Lissa questioned.

"As for you guys, mental torture. As for the kindergarteners and elementary students..." I trailed off. I wasn't really sure why. "Because they'll be better prey when they're older than they are now."

Lissa looked like she was going to cry. "Did you... did you get turned by force? Or did you finally choose Dimitri over us?"

The coldness in her words and voice caused me to feel pain. How can I feel pain? It must have showed on my face, because she stared at me with confusion.

I regained my composure quickly. "I chose him over you a long time ago."

Lissa's face flashed with pain.

"But I wasn't awakened of my own free will." I added.

Lissa looked confused at that.

"Yes, you did." Dimitri said.

"No, you accidentally put some compulsion into your words. I was too physically weak from all the blood you took to fight it." I admitted.

That seemed to make him angry. "Damn it..."

"Why does it matter? You took her anyway, and she doesn't seem opposed." My mom growled.

"Because I didn't like the fact that I was awakened against my will, even if I am happy now." Dimitri said.

"You're not happy, monster." Sydney piped up.

Dimitri rushed forward and clutched her throat. "Be quiet, Alchemist."

I suddenly felt the tingle of Oksana in my brain. But it wasn't just a tingle this time, it was a migraine. "Agh! What are you doing?!"

"Forcing some information out." Oksana said.

Dimitri was about to go after her, but Mr. Lazar was awake and he pulled Dimitri's leg from under him.

"No..." I felt my memories being tapped into.

"You'll all be compelled into seeing what Oksana sees, so prepare yourselves." Mark warned.

I screamed as she forced my memories out of me.

_"I'd rather die than become Strigoi." Dimitri had said._

_"Roza." Dimitri carried me after Natalie's attack._

_"Don't do that again." Dimitri said._

_"Don't kiss me back then." I quipped._

_"Where are you going?" Dimitri asked._

_"To break someone's heart." I replied._

_"It's okay. Everything's going to be okay. You can let go of the sword." Dimitri said._

_"I can't. I can't leave him alone. I have to protect him." I sobbed._

_"You have." Dimitri insisted._

_"I'll see you soon." Adrian smirked._

_"Not likely. I told you, I'm not into older guys." I walked into the lodge._

_As the door closed, I just barely heard him call behind me, "Sure, you aren't."_

_"You will lose what you value most, so treasure it while you can." Rhonda said._

_"No," Dimitri interrupted gently. He moved his face toward mine, our foreheads nearly touching. "It won't happen to you. You're too strong. You'll fight it, just like you did this_

_time."_

_"I only did because you were here." He wrapped his arms around me, and I buried my face in his chest. "I can't do it by myself," I whispered._

_"You can," he said. There was a tremulous note in his voice. "You're strong—you're so, so strong. It's why I love you."_

_"It's not about you, okay? This time, it's about me. Not you. All my life, Lissa... all my life, it's been the same. They come first. I've lived my life for you. I've trained to be your shadow, but you know what? I want to come first. I need to take care of myself for once. I'm tired of looking out for everyone else and having to put aside what I want. Dimitri and I did that, and look what happened. He's gone. I will never hold him again. Now I owe it to him to do this. I'm sorry if it hurts you, but it's my choice!" I ranted to Lissa._

_"Roza." His voice had that same wonderful lowness, the same accent... it was all just colder. "You forgot my first lesson: Don't hesitate." Then he knocked me out._

_Dimitri frowned. "Why did you come here?"_

_"Because you hit me on the head and dragged me here." I quipped._

_"Roza, tell me you want me to awaken you." Dimitri begged._

_"Yes, awaken me." I said, succumbing to his compulsion._

"Stop! Please, stop..." I begged.

My memories then flashed through my last few days and all the plans we'd made.

"My God, Rose..." Lissa was sobbing.

"Stop, please stop..." I repeated.

Dimitri launched forward and knocked Oksana's chair over. Christian had apparently been burning through his ropes, because he was untied and sending fireballs at Dimitri.

"Agh!" Dimitri yelled.

My head was still in so much pain that I couldn't do anything useful.

I felt something go through my chest and thought that someone had killed me. It turned out to only be a wooden stake, which meant I'd be waking up in about another five minutes. I caught a glimpse them doing the same thing to Dimitri before my world went black.


	7. Tables Turned

**Chapter 7: Tables Turned**

**Lissa's POV**

As I stared at Rose's unconscious body, I noticed more and more how human she seemed compared to other Strigoi. It wasn't even because I was having a hard time seeing my best friend as a Strigoi. It was because she still had human traits I'd never felt in a Strigoi. She'd felt pain at my words. She'd begged Oksana to stop instead of growling about how she'd kill her later. She'd still harbored a grudge against Avery for trying to kill me. She still seemed to love Dimitri. And she'd tried to keep us and the children alive. What normal Strigoi would do that?

"I mean it, use those lights now!" Alberta barked into the phone.

She'd mentioned that after the last attack on the school, we'd gotten lights that were as bright as the sun and had the same lethal effects on Strigoi.

"Keep me updated on whether or not they work." Alberta said as she hung up the phone.

"I can't believe Rose is actually a Strigoi... it's the one thing I found more impossible than her death—and that's saying something." Christian commented.

"I... I don't think Rose has made a full transition yet." I said.

"What are you talking about, Lissa?" Kirova questioned.

"Think about it; Rose wanted us and the children alive, she still seems to harbor love for Dimitri—which is something a normal Strigoi can't feel—she held a grudge about Avery because of my safety, and she felt emotional pain. I saw it. The first time she showed pain was when I asked if she was choosing Dimitri over us. The next time was when she begged Oksana to stop instead of threatening her." I explained. "And... I feel tinges of warmth coming through the bond. Most of it is dark and cold, but there are spots of light and warmth."

"Princess, I think you're just holding onto false hope." Sydney sighed. "Strigoi aren't warm and fuzzy in even the smallest of ways."

"No, I feel it too. I see the shadows that come from being bonded and Spirit darkness along with the unnatural darkness of a Strigoi, but I see light too. The brightest light you can see in an aura—hope." Oksana said.

"Is that what that light is? I've never seen it shine that bright before." Adrian peered at Rose.

"What about Dimitri?" Alberta asked. "What does his look like?"

"Unfortunately, his looks the same as any other Strigoi's. But I think I know why." Oksana said.

"Why?" I asked.

"She thinks Rose is different because she's Shadow Kissed. That maybe it will either take longer to fully turn, or that Rose will always have some sense of humanity." Mark said.

"Is there any way we can help her? I don't want to kill her, and obviously no one else wants to either if she's only been staked and tied to a chair with chains. None of you even want to kill Dimitri." I pointed out.

"Well, there is one story..." Mark started.

"Don't give them false hope." Oksana said.

"But we haven't proven it true or false yet." Mark pointed out.

"What?" Abe questioned.

"There's a story that another Spirit user once told us. He bragged about having saved a Strigoi." Mark explained. "Although he might not be credible, considering the fact that he's a little crazy..."

"All Spirit users are a little crazy." I said. "What was his name?"

"I think it was... Robert Doru." Oksana said.

"That name... I've heard it before..." I tried to place my finger on it.

"Here, let me help." Oksana offered.

I suddenly felt a tingle of warmth. A minute later, I remembered where I'd heard the name. I'd been in Victor Dashkov's study at the time. I was a nosy little girl and looked through his calendar.

"Uncle Victor, who's Robert Doru?" I asked.

"Yeah, spill the beans." Rose had been a troublemaker even then.

"Can you two keep a secret?" Victor smiled.

He knew very well that Rose couldn't keep a secret, but he probably figured no one would believe us.

"What?" Rose and I asked excitedly.

"Robert Doru is my secret younger brother." Victor chuckled.

"Why's he a secret?" Rose asked.

"Yeah, why don't we know about him?" I questioned.

"Because we share the same father, but have a different mother. It would be embarrassing for someone to figure that out." Victor cooed.

"Psh, as if that's embarrassing." Rose scoffed.

"You're so weird, Uncle Victor." I laughed as Rose pulled me off to play.

"Oh, God." I gasped.

"What? Who is it?" Christian asked.

"Robert Doru is Victor Dashkov's illegitimate brother." I said.

"So you knew that and didn't remember until now?" Adrian questioned.

"I was only a little girl at the time. And I didn't believe Victor. I was more focused on playing with Rose." I excused myself.

"Ugh..." Rose started to stir.

**Rose's POV**

I woke up feeling like crap. The stake was still in my chest and it hurt—badly. There were also chains wrapped around me—no doubt made of silver and coated with another metal so you could trap a Strigoi without killing it. I opened my eyes to see Lissa staring down at me with a look of worry. Even now, she looked like an angel sent to help me.

"Rose..." Lissa snapped me out of my reverie. "We want to help you..."

"Funny, you sound a lot like Victor right now—binding someone in chains and then claiming to be helping the cause." I babbled. "At least he was smart enough to figure out my attraction to Dimitri without having to have me admit it..."

"Victor knew?" Christian asked.

"From day one." I confirmed. "That's how he knew to give us a lust charm when he kidnapped Lissa. And it's what he tried to blackmail us with before his trial."

"I still don't understand how Dimitri let himself get that close..." Mom mumbled.

"Because unfortunately for most men, falling in love with me for even a short period of time is inevitable. Just ask Adrian, Dimitri, or..." I looked up and saw Mason standing next to Lissa. "Mason."

"We can't ask Mason." Lissa pointed out.

"You could. He's standing right next to you." I smiled bitterly at Mason.

He frowned harder than usual and looked like he was going to cry.

"I'm still not sure if these ghosts are real..." Kirova started.

"Oh, they're real. I can see him too." Mark said. "He's got red hair, right?"

"That's Mason." I confirmed.

Mason moved forward and tried to touch my face. I... could feel it. He was touching me.

"I'm so sorry..." I choked up.

"You've become the one thing I wanted to save you from." Mason's voice echoed in my mind.

I started crying. And it was real tears this time, not an act. Everyone in the room looked completely confused.

"Rose, we'll fix you." Mark promised. "I know that what he says hurts, but he's not saying it to hurt you. He's just sad."

"What are you talking about?" Lissa questioned.

"If a Shadow Kissed person—like Mark and Rose—is around ghosts long enough, they can hear what the ghosts are saying." Oksana explained.

"He said that she's become the one thing he wanted to save her from." Mark translated.

I looked at Dimitri, wondering why he hadn't joined the conversation. He was still unconscious because they'd put more wooden stakes in him than just the original one. They knew he was more forgone than I was. He was dark and cold, while there was still something human left in me. I didn't want to be human and feel all this pain.

"Kill me." I said. "Kill me."

"What?" Lissa asked.

"I don't want to feel again. I don't want human emotion anymore. Just kill me instead of putting me through this torture." I begged.

"Rose..." Lissa started.

"Please. Kill me for the sake of our friendship. I've spent my entire life trying to make your life better. I did countless things that you don't even know about for you. Just do this one thing for me and I'll consider us even." I said.

"You sound as bad as I did when I cut myself!" Lissa chastised.

"I feel worse than you did!" I exclaimed.

She looked upset at that. We both knew that I felt what she felt in excruciating detail, so the fact that I could honestly say I felt worse than she did was pretty horrifying.

"Rose, the fact that you feel anything at all right now is a miracle." Lissa regained her composure.

"No, it's Hell! The emotions pouring into me right now are all the horrible ones. If I had to feel, I'd want the good ones. But I don't even want those if it means getting the bad ones too. I hate feeling emotion. It's horrible!" I ranted.

"Rose, the good and the bad feelings go together. You can't feel one without the other. Everyone has to feel—even you." Lissa said.

"I've never wanted to feel! I wish I was born an emotionless psychopath! I don't want to feel heartache, loneliness, depression, and sadness! I don't want to feel rage and jealousy! I've always been good with physical pain—I knew how to make it go away. But I can't handle the emotional pain, and we both know it. I don't know how to make it go away..." I sobbed.

Everyone else was thinking of my breakdowns over Mason and the ghosts. But Lissa and I were thinking of something before that. We were thinking of the times when I missed my mom and wished she would come back for me, take me away from the Academy.

"Rose, we aren't five anymore. You can't try to force the pain to go away. You can still cry and come to me, but you can't suppress it anymore." Lissa said in a gentle tone.

"But I don't just feel my feelings. I feel yours too..." I heaved in a breath.

"And that's why you're the best friend I'll ever have. You literally bear the weight of my world and yours, complain minimally, and have survived this long. We're blood sisters, and we'll always be there for each other." Lissa had managed to make me focus on her instead of my emotional pain.

She was compelling me, but I didn't want to fight it. I wanted to believe every word she said. "Keep compelling me. It's working."

"What do you mean by blood sisters?" Abe questioned.

"You mean besides the fact that I was her feeder when we ran away?" I quipped.

"When I cut my finger once, Rose put it in her mouth so I wouldn't have to ruin my shirt to stop the bleeding—and because sucking my own blood would be weird." Lissa explained.

"Because your finger being in Rose's mouth is less weird." Adrian scoffed.

"Anyway, Rose realized how weird it was and told me to do the same thing to her finger so it would be less weird. She cut her finger on purpose." Lissa wrapped it up.

"That was supposed to stay a secret." I pointed out.

"It's not like it's going to kill us." Lissa shrugged.

"Rose!" Eddie barged into the room. His face fell when he saw me. "Oh, no..."

"Don't worry. I'm apparently still human." I sighed.

Eddie was speechless for a moment. "Alberta, the lights worked. And just in time, too. The Strigoi were about to break in right when they turned on. Most of them died, but... a couple of them got away."

"Which ones?" I asked.

"Some angry blonde guy and an angry old Russian lady." Eddie said reluctantly.

"Shit, that's Nathan and Galina." I muttered.

"You're on a first name basis with them?" Sydney looked horrified.

"Their first names are the only names they gave me. What should I have done, called them Strigoi 1 and Strigoi 2?" I scoffed.

"Which one's which?" Adrian teased.

"I even know their servants' names. I had to spend a few weeks in Hotel Hell and there wasn't much else to keep me occupied." I said.

"Rose, out of curiosity..." Lissa's thoughts and feelings poured through the bond.

"Only one. I only killed one person." I admitted. "And she deserved it."

"Since when does anyone deserve death?" Alberta questioned.

"When they try to help their Strigoi boyfriend beat and kill you. Inna was a bitch, even if she was human. And they should have known better than to let a human near me when I'm hungry." I started to feel my emotions leave me again.

Avery burst into the room, looking like she'd been mauled by a bear. "She's mine to kill!"


	8. Avery

**Chapter 8: Avery**

**Rose's POV**

"I told you! I told you she was trying to kill you!" I exclaimed.

Avery must have compelled everyone in the room, because no one did anything as she leapt onto Lissa. She was trying to choke Lissa to death. "You... will... be... Shadow Kissed... to me!"

Two surges of emotion went through me. One was my lifelong sense of duty to protect Lissa. The other was me wanting to kill Avery and then have Lissa to kill for myself.

"No!" Christian unsuccessfully tried to break free of the compulsion.

I squirmed in my chains and tried to force myself out of them. As Lissa's eyes started to roll into the back of her head, I busted out of my chains. I felt a burning sensation as the silver parts of the chains brushed and cut my skin, but I ignored all that as I attacked Avery.

"Please, don't kill her!" Mr. Lazar exclaimed.

"You don't have Reed and Simon to help you now..." I mocked her.

Just as I was about to kill Avery... I couldn't. And it wasn't because of my humanity. It was Lissa.

"Rose, do not kill Avery." Lissa tried to compel me.

"She's been trying to kill you, and you don't want me to kill her?" I didn't remove my hands from Avery's throat.

"No one deserves to die like this." Lissa said.

I pressed down so hard on Avery's windpipe that she passed out—not dead, passed out. Then I focused my attention on Lissa. That was a mistake. I could hear her heartbeat, see her chest rise and fall, and I thought about how much better Moroi are supposed to taste than humans.

"Rose... why are you looking at me like that?" Lissa looked nervous.

I pounced on her and brought her down to the ground.

"No!" Multiple people screamed.

They all tried to stop me, but one by one I pushed them all back into the walls, a lot of them hitting their heads so badly that they wouldn't be able to get up for another few minutes. That was all I needed.

"Rose, you can't do this." Lissa tried to squirm and get away.

"Moroi are supposed to taste better than humans..." I muttered.

"No!" Lissa compelled me enough that I wouldn't bite her—but I wouldn't release her either.

"Release me!" I demanded.

"Rose, we're best friends. We have been since we were five. You were the first person to call me Lissa. We dreamed of staying together forever, you as my guardian. We talked about everything, experienced everything together. You convinced me to date Aaron—which was a good decision at the time. My parents even loved you. I brought you back from the dead before I even thought about the fact that the rest of my family was dead. You saved me every time I was in trouble or took the blame for things I did." Lissa ranted as she tried to push me off. "You even kissed me once—as an experiment. We're best friends."

"I would've paid to see that." Adrian mumbled.

"Didn't the Academy teach you anything? You can't hesitate just because you love the person who turned Strigoi. I did, and look where it got me." I said. "Friendship and love don't matter in the end."

"Yes it does. You're still human. And we have an idea on how to save you. I still want you as my guardian. Even if you're not officially sanctioned, I'll still employ you as a guardian—everyone else will just refer to you as a bodyguard." Lissa looked like she was going to cry. "Please, Rose!"

I felt emotion well up in me again. I'd always wanted to be her guardian.

"Alberta, no!" Lissa put compulsion into her words.

Alberta had been about to stake me—with my own stake. Now she was frozen in her position of attack.

"Please, Rose..." The compulsion she'd been using on me faded.

I bit into her neck. She cried at first, but then she moaned in ecstasy. I guess Strigoi endorphins really did affect Moroi the same way. Her blood tasted better than Inna and Oleg's. But... I couldn't do it. I stopped myself from drinking her dry. I couldn't kill her.

"Rose..." Lissa was dazed.

Alberta wasn't under compulsion anymore, so she could have staked me. But she didn't. She hesitated when she noticed the way I stopped drinking Lissa's blood.

"Rose..." Lissa repeated.

"I'm here, Liss." I said in a voice that sounded warm, gentle even.

I laid down next to Lissa and put my head on her chest. I just wanted to be close to my best friend. I had no desire to kill her. Even though I was Strigoi—and was supposed to have a burst of energy for the next few weeks—I suddenly felt exhausted and watched the world fade to black.


	9. Prison Break

**Chapter 9: Prison Break**

**Lissa's POV**

I woke up in Dr. Olendzki's office. As soon as she saw my eyes open, she came over and flashed a light in my eyes.

"What's your name?" She asked.

I groaned. "Dr. Olendzki, I think we both know that blood loss doesn't usually cause memory loss. Now, where's Rose?"

She turned off the light. "Lissa's fine. Just make sure she doesn't lose anymore blood for a while. In fact, get her to a feeder."

Christian sighed with relief. "Thank you, Dr. Olendzki."

"Where's Rose?" I repeated.

"After the two of you passed out, Alberta had Rose and Dimitri escorted to the school's basement. It was apparently used as a dungeon back when the school was first built." Christian said.

"Wow, Rose was right." I laughed halfheartedly.

"About what?" Christian asked.

"About the Academy having a dungeon. She always loved joking about how the school was built more like a prison." I smiled fondly. Then I considered what Christian said. "Rose passed out?"

"Yeah, no one understands how, but Rose passed out after she laid down next to you." Christian nodded.

Rose's words came back to me. "I'm here, Liss."

She'd used such a warm tone... just like when she would try to calm me down. Rose was still in there somewhere.

"Anything else I should know?" I snapped back to reality.

"Mr. Lazar is stepping down from his Headmaster position. Kirova's going to get her old job back." Christian said. "And Avery's going to prison. Adrian called the Queen, and she believes him so thoroughly—along with the rest of us being witnesses—that Avery's not going to get a trial."

"It's hard to believe that I couldn't see what was right under my nose, but Rose knew from all the way around the world that Avery was trying to kill me." I said.

"To be fair, Avery directly revealed herself to Rose by pushing her out of your head. You got compelled." Christian shrugged.

"So... are you still mad about the stuff I did under her compulsion. I was starting to think the only reason you haven't been mad the last few days is because you were worried about me when I panicked about Rose." I said shyly.

Christian sighed. "I can't exactly be mad at you for getting compelled, can I? Besides, even after Jill mentioned Aaron, she tried to take back what she said and defend you. She said something seemed off about you compared to the way Rose talked about you."

"Rose sure does a lot of talking about me, doesn't she? And she's so descriptive that people recognize me just based on what she said." I snorted.

"Rose knows you better than anyone, so them recognizing you based on her descriptions makes sense. And she talks about you because she loves you." Christian pointed out.

"Yeah..." I smiled fondly at first before starting to cry.

We only had a slim chance at saving Rose. If Robert Doru was lying, then we would have to kill Rose.

"Come on, Lissa..." Christian pulled me closer.

"This is just so much to deal with. Why couldn't Rose and I be normal teenagers? Or at least normal for vampires?" I heaved.

"Because you'd be pretty boring if you were normal. I'd still love you, but you'd be boring." Christian joked.

I leaned my head against his chest just before he pulled my face up into a kiss. It made me happy to have him around when I felt weak.

"I'd rather not have you two in here if you're going to do that. I have to deal with enough teen mothers already." Dr. Olendzki came back.

"What are you talking about? We've only had three in the last few years." I scoffed.

"That's three too many." Dr. Olendzki said. "Now get to a feeder."

Christian smirked as he led me out of the room. "I wasn't planning on having teenaged sex in your office."

"But you were planning it for later." Dr. Olendzki twitched a smile.

Christian laughed and I laughed halfheartedly as he dragged me off to a feeder. Like always, he picked Alice.

"Ha, the diner becomes the dinner." Alice seemed to focus on me.

"What?" I asked, baffled.

"You've been letting a Strigoi feed from you. I can tell." Alice laughed absentmindedly.

"This is why I hate when you pick her." I sighed.

"Sorry." Christian shrugged. "She's normally entertaining."

I sighed and sank my teeth into her, taking only what blood I needed. Alice moaned in ecstasy. As soon as I pulled away, she grabbed my arm.

"Isn't it funny how she was once your food source and now you're hers?" Alice looked into my eyes with the most seriousness I'd ever seen. It faded quickly as she laughed and stared off into space again.

I shivered at her words. She was right. Rose had been my feeder when we were on the run, and I'd become like her feeder just yesterday. It was a scary thought.

"I'm sorry. I won't pick her anymore." Christian looked guilty.

We walked together to find someone. Abe.

"What do you want?" He sighed.

He was in the office Kirova had been using when Mr. Lazar was Headmaster. For once, he wasn't wearing one of his trademark scarves, and... he looked worried about something. I hadn't known him long, but worry seemed like an uncharacteristic emotion for him.

"I need you to get us in to see Rose. I have a feeling Alberta isn't going to tell us where the dungeon is, and I most definitely know Kirova won't." I said. "But you seem like you could get us in pretty easily. And you can also help with the next step in our plan."

"Which is?" Abe questioned.

"Breaking Rose out of her cell." I said.

"What?!" Abe exclaimed.

"Taking Dimitri would be too dangerous at this point, but Rose will be easier to handle. We'll just have to keep her confined—maybe with silver handcuffs or something." I said.

"What would you need to break Rose out of her cell for?" Abe asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"So she can help us break into Tarasov." I answered.

"Tarasov?" Christian and Abe looked confused.

Christian knew nothing of the plan I'd been formulating since I figured out Robert could save Rose.

"Tarasov is the prison Victor was sent to. If you can help us figure out where it is, we could break in and then break Victor out. If Victor knows anything about his brother, he won't give anything away for free. And what's the one thing a man serving a life sentence wants?" I explained.

"No, Lissa. We can't just let him go free." Christian insisted.

"As soon as we get the information we need out of him, we can turn him in and get off scot-free. The worst he'll do is tell the authorities we broke him out and have them all laugh at him for implying that a group of teenagers busted him out of a maximum security prison. It's perfect." I elaborated.

"That's Rose-level logic. This whole plan sounds exactly like Rose. I think you've spent too much time with her." Christian scoffed.

Abe smiled fondly. "So Rose comes up with crazy schemes, eh? How many of them work?"

"Almost all of them." I said.

"Maybe she is like me after all..." Abe shook his head. "I'll help you, but only to help my daughter."

"Why is she suddenly your daughter now? Why not some other time within the last eighteen years?" Christian questioned.

Abe frowned. "Janine told me to stay away. She didn't want to make Rose grow up with people looking at her strangely because her father was a Moroi who actually cared. I paid for the Academy and Janine sent me pictures of Rose in exchange as she grew up. I can't act like the perfect father, but I can at least say I've tried."

"If you can help me pull this off, Rose will consider you to be the best father she could have." I said.

"I'm not sure I want to tell her. She's always grown up without a father. Why change her entire world now?" Abe looked conflicted.

"Because she's always wondered who her father was, and now she has the chance to have him in her life. And she can also know what you've done for her already. Rose needs you, and saving her will make her love you regardless of your faults—because she'll know you love her." I said.

Abe smiled. "I have a few tricks up my sleeve. I think I can get her out."

**Rose's POV**

I woke up in a dungeon. I'm not even kidding. The walls and floors were made of stone, and I was being chained to one of the walls. The only thing missing was the skeleton of a dead prisoner. In it's place was Dimitri, awake and staring at me.

"What happened after I was staked?" Dimitri demanded.

"The Moroi alerted the rest of the Academy. The only Strigoi survivors that escaped were Nathan and Galina." I said.

"You're a failure as a Strigoi. I shouldn't have wasted an awakening on you." Dimitri growled.

I whimpered and looked away. I couldn't look into his furious eyes. I failed Dimitri. I failed Dimitri...

"Rose!" Abe whispered loudly.

He emerged from the darkness with three figures following him. Lissa, Christian, and Eddie.

"Who the Hell are you?" Dimitri asked coldly.

"If you're lucky, your future father-in-law." Abe muttered as he knelt beside the cell's lock.

"What?" I was confused.

"I'll explain later, Rose." Abe said.

I suddenly realized he was picking the cell's lock. He didn't take long and immediately started unlocking my shackles.

"What am I going to owe you for busting me out, Zmey?" I asked.

"Nothing you'll regret." He said.

My shackles were unlocked and I was free. I rubbed my wrists. Eddie promptly put silver handcuffs—coated in another metal—on them.

"Alright, let's go before anyone notices us." Eddie said. "I really don't like getting on Alberta's bad side."

"Where are we going?" I asked.

Christian smirked. "I think that's going to be your favorite part. But let's not ruin the surprise just yet."

"What about me?" Dimitri questioned. "Aren't you going to free me?"

"Oh, no. You're currently a Godless heathen with no morals. Hopefully that will change shortly after we've accomplished our mission, though." Abe grinned. "But we can trust Rose. Just a little."

"I don't want to leave Dimitri." I backed into the cell and closer to Dimitri.

"Rose, I know how much you love Dimitri. After you left, I thought about all the obvious signs I ignored. I even understand why you love him. But the only way for you two to end up together and feel real love is to do what we're about to do. It should hopefully only take a few days at most." Lissa looked nervous. "I think I came up with a crazy plan you'd be proud of."

I smiled. "How crazy?"

"How crazy do you consider breaking into a maximum security Moroi prison that only stays in one place for half the year?" Lissa smiled back.

"That's pretty crazy." I grinned. It was tempting. "I like this plan already."

Lissa looked happy and relieved to see my mischievous nature peeking through the cracks of my otherwise emotionless façade. She'd always loved my crazy plans, and now she was making her own. I was so proud.

"If you leave me here, I will not waste another moment with you. I will kill you, take away your immortality. Or even worse, I'll let Nathan and Galina punish you—which is equivalent to throwing you to the wolves. The only way you can avoid death and torture is if you stay with me." Dimitri said coldly.

I started to cry and knelt in front of him. "I've never wanted to leave you. I always went back to help you in fights. I didn't want to leave you in those caves during the Strigoi attack... but my mother wouldn't let me go back. I followed you around the world to Russia. I've never wanted to abandon you..."

"Then don't!" He growled.

I could vaguely hear my friends talking in the background.

"I just don't understand how she can be so submissive to him when she's independent with everyone else..." Christian muttered.

"Because even as her instructor, he treated her like a child. She grew accustomed to it and knew she should do what he told her. It's common among guardians, especially if they have a personal trainer..." Eddie explained.

"No." Lissa said. "That might contribute to it, but that's not all. She's submissive to him because he knows how to put her in her place. Because she looks up to him for strength. Because she loves him. Love changes you, cuts you deep. Especially if it's true love..."

"Rose." Abe said sternly.

I turned my head to face him.

"Come with us. Dimitri will be the man you fell in love with again if we can pull this off. You'll even go back to being the wonderful person you've always been. You'll have your father's mischievous tendencies and your mother's sense of duty—just like before. Come with us."

Abe requested.

As I looked at him, I wanted to go with him. No doubt. I also finished piecing something together about him, but I decided to file it away for later.

"I'll go with you." I said, standing up.

"Roza, please..." Dimitri sounded wounded.

When I turned to look at him, I saw through his façade. I knew the real Dimitri loved me, but this wasn't him. This was Dimitri's Strigoi replacement. It was funny how I still had humanity left and tried to suppress it, while he was a monster pretending to feel.

"I'm going to fix you." I promised.

"Roza!" Dimitri viciously pulled at his chains.

I ignored everything he said as I turned and walked out of the dungeon slowly. The monster might have meant the insults he was hurdling, but I knew the real Dimitri who loved me was in there somewhere, stuck.

"You did good." Eddie put an arm around my shoulder.

I could tell he was nervous to be this close to a Strigoi, but he knew his old friend was somewhere inside me.

"What's the next step?" I asked.

"To sneak you out of the Academy, of course." Abe grinned.


	10. Escape Plan

**Chapter 10: Escape Plan**

**Rose's POV**

Just Lissa's general plan intrigued me, so I really wanted to know what Abe could help us pull off. He was on the phone.

"I know how big this is, but I'll wipe your debt to me if you help me. This is very important, and if we succeed, we won't be breaking any major laws. No, I'm not desperate!" Abe lied on that last part. "Just do it. You owe me."

Abe hung up the phone and turned to look at us.

"So, what did you just pull off?" I asked.

"I'll have all of Tarasov's most current security information copied to my laptop within the next hour. Then we'll plan the escape from there." Abe said.

"You're very efficient. Maybe I should recruit you for all my crazy plans." I joked.

"Perhaps you should. Then you're reputation for almost all your plans working would be boosted to a reputation where all your plans work." Abe quipped.

"Alright, now how do we get out of the Academy?" I smirked.

"You all pile in my car and hope to God no one notices Rose's absence before we leave." Abe grinned.

"A reckless plan. My specialty." I smirked.

We all sprinted for Abe's car as fast as possible. Since it was night, school hours were probably going, and we didn't need any students or teachers stopping us.

"I want Rose in the front seat." Abe said. "The rest of you can get in the back."

Eddie opened my door and helped me into the car before he, Lissa, and Christian piled in the back. Abe slid into the driver's seat and started the car.

"A van, really? How much more mafia can you get?" I laughed.

"People in the mafia get their own cars—usually expensive. I usually just use the van in case I have to have a group of people—either mine or such as yourselves—in it. And I'm not in the mafia, I'm just a business man who bends the law a little." Abe said.

"That's what every mob boss says." I pointed out.

"I know." He smirked.

We were driving to the gate, almost home free. Then my mother stepped in the way of the van.

"Duck." Abe said.

I slid down in my seat.

"Abe, I already know she's in there. I saw her before she slid down." Mom said. "Bring her back, now."

"Sorry Janine, but I want joint-custody." Abe joked. "I'm going to take her so we can save her. But you can keep her boyfriend. Maybe you can have a talk with him about dating underaged girls and what requirements there are for marrying her."

"I'm eighteen. There's no such thing as custody at that point, and I can be with whoever I want." I said.

"But you're still a student, which makes the custody stay in effect until you're not anymore." Abe pointed out. "Besides, you were underaged when he slept with you."

"I dropped out." I countered.

"You're mother kept you enrolled." Abe argued.

"Abe..." Mom walked up to his window. "You can't take her unless I go with you."

"What, don't you trust my parenting skills?" Abe quipped.

"This isn't about parenting. It's about me not wanting to lose her, so I want to supervise and help you." Mom said.

"You haven't supervised me since before Rose was born." Abe scoffed.

"Abe..." Mom looked over at me.

"I know he's my father. It doesn't take much in the way of brains to realize how much we look and act alike. Plus, Kirova and the Queen have said his name to me before, and I know Ibrahim could be shortened to Abe. Then there's the fact that he's mentioned it in front of Lissa twice now, and I know what she knows." I rolled my eyes. "And the parenting jokes are really obvious. Now, can we cut through the bullshit and either take or leave Mom?"

My parents looked astonished at my reaction. Lissa just sighed while Christian and Eddie stayed quiet.

"I'd probably react with more emotion, but I'm currently having all my emotion drained out of me with every second we waste arguing." I said.

"I'd let you go, but you'll be too recognizable where we're going. I'm sorry, Janine." Abe said.

"I don't have to help with whatever illegal activities you're going to do, I just want to be in the general area and know what the Hell you're doing." Mom said.

"For God's sake, just bring her. If she knows I'm here, then it probably won't be long before the rest of the Academy finds out and locks us in." I groaned. "Get in the car, Mom."

She quickly obliged and slid into the seat next to Eddie.

"No more people." Abe said.

He drove off and didn't stop at the gate. The guardian at the gate looked shocked at Abe not having stopped, so word would probably get back to Kirova pretty quickly.

We were at a coffee shop two towns over within an hour. Abe booted up his laptop and checked something on it.

"Ah, here it is. Come look at these blueprints and make some plans." Abe gestured to me. "And there's plenty of additional documents and information if you need it."

I looked over the blue prints and came up with a crazy idea. I was sure I was going to do it as soon as some of the additional documents confirmed how possible it was.

"We could pose as feeders—Lissa and I. Eddie can pretend to be the delivery guy if we can get these transport papers printed and properly signed. We could also use Christian, but not in the prison itself. I want him in the parking lot where he could be prepared with fire power if we come out and have them following us." I said.

"And what will we be doing?" Abe asked.

"Mom already said she wasn't going to get in on the illegal activities, but it would be better to have her prepared as a getaway driver when we get outside. Then when we've gotten all the necessary information out of Victor, she can be the one who 'finds' him and turns him back in." I explained. "And you can pull some strings with your friends in high places if we get caught. Would you happen to have blackmail on the Queen?"

Abe smirked. "I do, but she has blackmail on me too. That's why she doesn't interfere in my business and I try not to interfere in hers."

"So it's settled." I said.

"But what if they figure out you're a Strigoi and stake you?" Mom questioned.

"There are risks with every job." I shrugged.

"Is it a risk you're willing to take?" Mom asked.

"Yes." I decided. "It is."

Abe suddenly got another call. He paled as he listened and hung up without much talking.

"What is it?" Lissa asked.

"The Academy knows Rose is gone and they had to notify the Queen—because of Rose's Strigoi nature. They're trying to postpone Dimitri's staking, but the Queen expects it to be done before she gets there." Abe said. "She's overseeing things herself, and has a search party looking for all of us."

"We'll have to make ourselves unrecognizable when we get to Tarasov. Good thing Lissa and I have strong compulsion." I said.

"How strong are your compulsion skills?" Lissa asked.

"You're in love with me and want to kiss me." I looked directly into Lissa's eyes.

"I love you, Rose." Lissa leaned in for a kiss.

I laughed and pushed her face away. "Feel what you normally feel."

Lissa blinked. "Did you... did you just..."

"It was cute and funny. Now let's focus." I calmed myself.

"That scares me." Christian said.

"It shouldn't. We both know I don't want her that way, and I won't have the power to control her if we get lucky with Robert." I smirked.

"Here's a thought; how are we getting Rose to Tarasov? It's daytime all the time in Alaska right now, and Rose is a Strigoi. Think that one through." Eddie said.

"Tarasov doesn't have any windows, and you just have to get me in without burning me, then you have to get me back to the car without burning me." I said.

"Because that's easy." Eddie snorted.

"What if you told them Rose was a feeder who thinks she's Strigoi, so you have to cover her from the sunlight. And then all you'd have to do from there is figure out how you're getting her in." Christian suggested.

"Just cover me with a big, thick blanket." I shrugged. "As long as the sun doesn't seep through, I'm fine." I said.

"And what if we have to run on the way out? You can't run under a blanket." Eddie pointed out.

"You can carry me." I scoffed. "You and Mason have proven multiple times that you can hold up my body weight for long periods of time, so running through a prison yard shouldn't be too hard."

"When did they prove that?" Lissa asked.

"They used to have contests to see who was stronger." I shrugged. "It was usually a tie."

"And you volunteered?" Christian snorted.

"They're hot and they're also my best guy friends. Do I really seem like I'd be opposed to the idea?" I laughed.

"No." Lissa agreed. "You don't."

"So the plan's settled?" I looked to Eddie for confirmation.

"It's settled." Eddie nodded.

We had a plan.


	11. Tarasov

**Chapter 11: Tarasov**

**Rose's POV**

We were in Alaska within a few hours. I unfortunately had to wear a blanket over my entire body, but we didn't have any problems otherwise.

"This kind of reminds me of when you wanted to be a ghost for Halloween." Lissa sounded like she was smirking.

"Except this blanket isn't see-through and has no eye slits." I said. "Plus, you ended up convincing me to be a fairy princess."

"It was the girliest thing I'd ever seen you do, and you owned it. Everyone who made a joke either got punched or told off." Lissa laughed. "God, we should wear that again."

She frowned as she remembered that we might never get the chance if any of this plan failed.

"Yeah Liss, we should." I agreed, grabbing her hand.

"Hey, remember the year you guys put on vampire costumes from a human store? People didn't know whether to laugh or be offended." Eddie said.

"Yeah, I think we actually got Kirova to smile." I remembered. "And she told everyone to leave us alone. She said it was all in the Halloween spirit."

We all laughed in remembrance, Christian included. While I could still feel my humanity, I decided to set a goal that I'd make fun memories with him too—besides saving ourselves from a situation we got ourselves into. Mom and Abe smiled halfheartedly.

"Hey Old Man, do you want to hear about how Lissa and I used to smuggle alcohol into the Academy?" I leaned forward next to his ear.

Mom had taken over the front seat and Abe was still driving.

"I'm sure it's quite the story." Abe smirked.

I launched into the story of how Lissa and I smuggled things into the Academy, and everyone laughed and smiled the whole time—especially Abe.

"You're quite the trouble maker. But you make up for it with your cunning ways of getting out of trouble. That can be a scary combination." Abe chuckled.

"That's nothing. You should've heard what I told Kirova to let me go to church on Sundays." I snorted.

"You're of the Russian Orthodox religion?" Abe questioned.

"No, but church is an excuse for her to sit next to me and whisper. She was supposed to stay away from social situations outside school hours as her punishment for taking me away from the Academy." Lissa smirked.

"I told Kirova that it would be wrong for her to keep a girl away from her religious services. And she said _isn't your mother Atheist?_ And I told her my father was probably Muslim, but I was choosing my own religious path and she shouldn't keep me from it." I laughed.

"Isn't hypocrisy a sin?" Abe joked.

"Hey, I made a deal with God. I'd keep believing if He let me sleep in on Sundays. So far, I'm a very firm believer." I smirked.

"Rose believes in God, she just has to make every part of her life sarcastic." Lissa rolled her eyes.

I was about to make a witty comeback, but the car suddenly came to a stop.

"We're here. Janine, Christian, and I need to get into the back and duck. Rose and Lissa can stay where they are and Eddie has to get in the front. Just be sure to give them these pre-signed papers and act business casual." Abe instructed.

"I thought business casual was a type of clothing." Eddie joked as he moved to the front and everyone else moved to the back.

Lissa and I were the only ones who stayed where we were. She grabbed my hand.

"It's going to be okay, Liss." I said, sensing her nervousness. "We're going to be okay."

We moved forward again and abruptly stopped when we reached the front gate.

"What's your business?" A man asked.

"Dropping off two new feeders." Eddie sighed. "These two are driving me nuts."

"Why, what's wrong with them? And why's that one wearing a blanket?" The man questioned.

"The one wearing a blanket thinks she's a Strigoi. The other one indulges her fantasy by acting like she's feeding off her." Eddie sounded like he was rolling his eyes. "You should have no problem with them though. They stop pretending once they're bitten into."

"Head straight in. The paperwork seems to be in order." The man chuckled.

The car started moving again and then stopped about a minute later. The van's doors opened and Eddie escorted me inside while someone else escorted Lissa. She was using compulsion to hide her identity, but she'd also put on a black wig—the furthest thing from her angelic halo of blond hair. I was planning on using compulsion once the blanket was off, but I also had on a red wig—it reminded me of my mother.

"Alright, you're inside now, Strigoi." The guard who'd escorted Lissa in laughed as he ripped off my blanket.

Thankfully, we were already inside with the door shut, otherwise I'd have been burned alive.

"You know, we didn't order new feeders." The warden scrutinized us.

"I just deliver the feeders, I don't keep track of who needs what." Eddie shrugged. "My bosses told me to bring them, so I brought them. Check the paperwork if you like."

"That won't be necessary. There's obviously been a mix up, but I don't see any reason to get rid of two perfectly good feeders." The warden shrugged.

Eddie wasn't wearing a wig, but Lissa had charmed some silver to hide his appearance. He should be fine while we went to get Victor. I grabbed my blanket from the guard swiftly. When he glared at me, I pretended to be a clueless feeder and wrapped the blanket around myself.

"Let her keep it. She's more compliant if you do." Eddie said.

The guard shrugged and had another guard help him bring us through the prison.

"Can I stay a little while? I've been driving all day and could use a cup of coffee." Eddie requested.

"Sure, follow me to my office." The warden said as he and Eddie disappeared from my sight.

We walked through the prison and Lissa suddenly got nervous. I sent her a look that I hoped said what's wrong?

"There are Spirit users in here. A lot of them." Lissa thought.

Sure enough, I could clearly see the auras of Spirit users as I tapped into the bond. The main difference between their auras and Lissa's was that it looked like Spirit darkness had overtaken them. Lissa only had a few glimmers of Spirit darkness left.

"That won't happen to you." I whispered.

"Did you say something?" One of the guards looked back at me.

"I want to feed on my feeder now." I leaned towards Lissa and lightly bit her—with my normal teeth, not my fangs.

Lissa winced in slight pain because I'd put a little too much pressure into it.

"Ignore them. They're just a couple of rambling feeders." The second guard said and prodded us along.

"I think you gave me a hickey." Lissa rubbed her neck.

"It'll fade. Besides, Christian's the only one who will care." I teased.

We finally reached the feeding room and were ordered to sit down.

"New feeders?" The overseer asked. "We didn't need new ones yet."

"It was a mix up and the warden didn't see a point in letting them go to waste." One guard shrugged.

I stood up and looked directly into the first guard's eyes. "Knock yourself out."

The guard immediately fell under my compulsion and hit his head against the wall—hard.

"Hey!" The other guard exclaimed..

"Copy him." I looked into his eyes.

The second guard did as he was told and hit his head against the wall really hard. It actually took a few more hits to make it work this time, but that just gave me a source of entertainment. When I turned around, Lissa was just barely keeping the overseer under her compulsion—she'd used her power too much already.

"You are going to call Victor Dashkov in for a feeding and act completely casual. You will not warn anyone of what we are. You will knock yourself out immediately after you make the call." I ordered.

He complied with my order and got Victor Dashkov sent for a feeding. Then he hit himself against the desk a few times. I laughed with cruel humor.

"We really need to hurry if we don't want you to lose your humanity." Lissa said nervously.

A few minutes later, Victor walked in with a couple of guards behind him. Lissa pulled Victor away and I immediately knocked both of the guards out with my superior Strigoi strength.

"What the Hell is going-" Victor stopped cold. Then he smiled. "Rose? Vasilissa?"

"We're here to bust you out. But you have to do everything we say, or I'll send you straight back here." I said.

"And what if I turn you in?" Victor asked smugly.

"Who will believe a common criminal over a couple of scared teenage girls who found Victor lying in wait for them?" I countered.

Actually, people would probably believe just about anything about me once they discovered I was a Strigoi.

"There's something different about you..." Victor trailed off. Then his eyes widened in fear as he looked into mine. "You're... you're..."

"A Strigoi? Yeah, I am. And I can rip your throat out if you don't do exactly as I say." I growled.

Victor looked over at Lissa, half expecting her to be Strigoi too. "Why are you working with a Strigoi?"

"Because she's my best friend and you hold the key to my final hope in saving her." Lissa said. "Don't push me, or I'll let her suck you dry."

Victor stayed quiet after that, his cockiness being overpowered by his new found fear of me. We traveled through the prison until we finally got back to the front entrance. Lissa and I were still wearing the wigs and looked down most of the time, so we didn't figure any cameras would capture our true appearances. The only guards we saw were sitting right outside the warden's office. Eddie was in the warden's office.

"Hey!" I got their attention. "Beat each other into unconsciousness!"

They hesitated only a second before succumbing to my compulsion. The one that lasted the longest was the one I knocked out myself. Then I pushed the doors to the warden's office open and strode in.

"Knock yourself out." I said.

The warden knocked himself out before he got the chance to react to me.

"Let's go, Eddie." I said.

Eddie fearfully got up and complied with my orders. I threw the blanket over my head and let Eddie pick me up. Lissa was the main one guarding Victor as we ran out into the sun. I felt a pang of longing to look at the sun and bask in it's warmth, but I knew it would kill me if I did that now. Eddie finally got me stuffed into the car and Lissa and Victor climbed in too. Lissa took a seat next to me again, but Abe and Eddie were in the very back with Victor. Christian was in the front seat and Mom was the one driving.

"Oh, God." I had to grip onto my seat to keep from falling over as Mom started the car and made a sharp u-turn. "Be careful! I have to keep the blanket over me!"

"I'm sorry, but guardians could come pouring out any minute!" Mom exclaimed.

She sped straight through the thing that was supposed to stop cars from going through the front gate. I wish I could've seen the look on the guard's face. Mom didn't stop—for obvious reasons—and kept up a fast pace.

"Alright Victor, we need you to tell us what you know about your brother." Lissa said.

"What brother? I'm an only child." Victor played dumb.

"No, you're not." Lissa growled. "You have a half-brother named Robert Doru. And if you don't help us find him, I'm going to let Rose kill you."

"Can I just kill him anyway?" I asked. "He's a really big pain in the ass, and no one would miss him."

"Rose..." Christian warned.

"Fine." I sighed.

"How do you know about Robert?" Victor questioned.

"You told us, dimwit." I rolled my eyes. "We were five, not stupid."

"You two actually remembered that?" Victor scoffed.

"It took a little help, but we eventually did." Lissa said. "Now tell us how to find him."

"Why should I?" Victor snorted.

"Because if you don't, I'm going to torture you slowly before finally killing you and letting you join Natalie in Hell!" I snarled.

"Lissa wouldn't let you. She's got too many morals." Victor protested.

"But I can easily forget them in times of desperation. Ask Jesse Zeklos and Ralf Sarcozy." Lissa threatened.

"She was going to mercilessly torture them to death until I showed up." I added. "And then I nearly killed them myself. I'd be perfectly willing to kill them now that I'm Strigoi."

"Las Vegas. Robert lives just outside Las Vegas." Victor sounded afraid.

"Las Vegas, Jeeves." I told Mom.

"But how will we make it back to Dimitri in time?" Eddie asked. "We want to save him too, right?"

My heart sank. Then I had an idea. "Abe, can you get the Queen's arrival delayed? By a lot?"

"I'll see what I can do." Abe said.

About five phone calls later, Abe finally hung up.

"Well?" I asked.

"The Queen will be postponed by at least two days. There's going to be some... security issues." Abe said.

"Security issues?" Lissa questioned.

"Like some false bombs strategically placed in her luggage." Abe said. "And her guardians' luggage."

"Doesn't the Queen have a private jet?" Christian asked.

"Trust me, that private jet has more metal detectors and security checks than any airport in the country." Mom said. "She'll be delayed."

That gave me an odd sense of smug satisfaction. "Serves the bitch right."

"Does being Strigoi make you hate the Queen?" Eddie asked.

"No, but hating the Queen before you turn Strigoi makes you hate her when you're Strigoi." Christian quipped.

"She and Rose weren't on the best terms." Lissa admitted.

"She trashed Lissa, insulted my race and accused me of being Adrian's whore when I have nothing to do with him. Being on bad terms isn't even the half of it." I grunted.

"Did she explicitly use the term whore?" Lissa asked.

"Did she explicitly say she doesn't like you because you're a runaway princess?" I countered.

"Fair point." Lissa admitted.

"You always make enemies in high places, don't you Rose?" Victor teased.

"But I have so much blackmail on said enemies that you can equate it with having friends in high places." I quipped.

"She has a point there." Abe chuckled.

"Who are you again?" Victor asked. "I don't think I've seen you before."

"I'm Rose's absent father. You can call me Abe Mazur." Abe said.

"I thought Rose's father ditched his whores just like any other Moroi man." Victor spewed.

Mom nearly turned off the road and we all got moved around in our seats.

"If you call Janine a whore ever again, I will snap your neck myself." Abe said.

"I'd listen to him, Victor. He's a Moroi mob boss. Plus, you're pretty weak in physical terms, and I already want to kill you too." I said.

The rest of the drive was pretty silent. Victor finally figured out that having so many people who hate him in one car didn't mix well with insulting us. We had to stop to get a hotel in northern Nevada—everyone but me was tired. It was still daytime when we got there, but everyone else needed their sleep. The hotel manager questioned why I was thrown over Eddie's shoulder in a blanket, but everyone just passed it off as me being tired from our long trip. We had adjoining rooms—guys in one, girls in the other.

"I'll escort Victor." Eddie offered as he prodded Victor into the other room.

The blinds were drawn, so I could finally have the blanket off and merely laid back on the couch. My handcuffs were still on, so I didn't see myself getting comfortable—which didn't matter since Strigoi don't sleep.

"Goodnight, Lissa." Christian gave her a kiss."

"Goodnight, Christian." Lissa smiled.

"Um... goodnight, Rose." Abe said awkwardly.

"See you tomorrow, Abe." I flipped through the channels on the television—no one had protested to me taking the remote.

After Abe left the room, Lissa sat on the floor next to me.

"Do you think the channels on cable are the same as when we ran away?" Lissa asked.

"Let's find out." I smirked.

I changed to a music channel and immediately regretted it. _Bad Girls_ by _MIA_ was playing. It wasn't a bad song—in fact, Lissa and I had one considered it our favorite song—but it was the song that had played when we were in the car crash that killed her family.

"_Live fast, die young, bad girls do it well..._" _MIA_ sang.

I changed the channel to a random sitcom. "Sorry, Liss."

"It's okay." Lissa smiled sadly. "We have to get over it one day, right?"

"What?" Mom asked.

"That song was playing during the Dragomir car crash." I said.

"Oh." Mom said.

She seemed a little out of it, focused on some nonexistent spot on the wall.

"See if one of the Moroi news channels pops up." Lissa said.

Moroi openly put news channels on TV, pretending it was just some vampire themed joke channel. I changed to one and immediately saw us on the news—kind of. Victor's face was clearly visible in multiple shots, but the rest of us had kept our heads down—plus, I was under a blanket on the ones taken outside.

"Victor Dashkov has been broken out of prison by some strange group of criminals. The guards swear that the girl under the blanket was some Strigoi, the other girl was a Moroi, and the boy was a Dhampir. Be on the lookout for these strange characters." The news guy reported.

A set of criminal sketches came onscreen that looked nothing like any of us—except Victor, of course.

"Wow, we actually made the news this time." I laughed halfheartedly.

"Well, at least they don't recognize us." Lissa sighed.

"Yeah, but they'll recognize Victor. We need to get him some normal clothes tomorrow." Mom said.

"Or we could just hide him in the car while we get Robert, then we'll just deliver him in his prison clothes. It's like wrapping our gift." I joked.

"We'll probably need him to get out of the car to lure his brother to us." Mom pointed out. "Besides, the hotel staff will probably already recognize him if any of them are Moroi or Dhampirs. Or even Alchemists in the area."

"True, but still. I don't want to spend money on him." I said.

"Fair point." Lissa said. "But we have to. For now."

Lissa yawned shortly after that.

"Go to sleep, Liss. My mom will make sure I don't kill you in your sleep." I said.

"Goodnight, Rose." Lissa yawned as she flopped on her bed. "Goodnight, Guardian Hathaway."

"Goodnight." Mom and I said.

Lissa's breathing patterns changed not too long after that, and we knew she was asleep. Mom yawned too.

"You know, you could lock me in the bathroom and sleep." I offered. "I don't think I can bust doors down with my hands bound."

"No, I'm fine." Mom insisted.

She didn't just look tired, she looked... miserable.

"Mom, what's wrong?" I asked.

Mom looked startled. "You've never asked me that before."

"Never too late. What's wrong?" I repeated.

Mom sighed. "You mean besides the fact that my daughter's a Strigoi and that I helped brake a convict out of prison?"

"Yeah, besides that." I said.

Mom smirked. "You really are perceptive, aren't you?"

"I learned it from you. It's a great guardian trait." I admitted.

Mom frowned. "I... I haven't been called a whore since high school. So when Victor said it, it got to me..."

"Don't let Victor bother you. The guy told his daughter to turn Strigoi just so she could help him with his evil plans. You can at least say you're an infinite amount of times the parent he was." I said. "You're going against your morals to help me. And besides, I'm pretty sure you were more than just a whore to Abe. Otherwise he wouldn't care about either of us."

Mom let some rare tears come out of her eyes. "That's probably the nicest thing you've said to me."

"You mean besides when I told you I loved you?" I smiled.

Mom was showing me a rare moment of vulnerability, so I did the only thing I could. I sat next to her and gave the best hug a handcuffed person can give. Much like when I leaned into her in Spokane, she leaned into me as she cried.

"Why would people have called you a whore in high school?" I asked cautiously.

"Because that's how I acted in high school. That's why I wanted you to stay away from Adrian—I didn't want you to be just another conquest." Mom sniffled. "I wanted you to be better than me."

"You're not a conquest. You 're _the_ conquest." I joked.

Instead of being offended, Mom just laughed. I spent the night sitting next to Mom as she slept. It gave me a strange spark of humanity that I hadn't felt in a while.


	12. Robert

**Chapter 12: Robert**

**Lissa's POV**

Not long after I fell asleep, Adrian invaded my dreams.

"Adrian?" I blinked.

"Where are you guys?" Adrian asked.

"It's not important where we are." I said.

"Don't give me that shit. Rose said that too, and look what happened to her." Adrian said.

"Adrian, we're doing everything we can to save Rose and Dimitri. And if you actually care about her as much as you say you do, you'll stall the Queen until we get back. I know she won't be there for a few days, but don't let anyone execute Dimitri." I said.

"Why should I protect Belikov?" Adrian questioned.

"Because he makes Rose happy, and if you don't help him, she'll kill you—whether or not she's still a Strigoi." I said.

"What do you mean? Rose can't change back from being a Strigoi." Adrian scoffed.

"She might be able to, if we can find what we're looking for in time." I said. "Now stall Dimitri's death."

Adrian frowned. "Tell me where you are. You guys could have at least brought me with you. And-"

"Adrian!" I snapped. "Stop trying to figure out where I am and stall Dimitri's death, or Rose and I will never forgive you!"

Adrian looked like he was about to protest again, so I worked to wake myself up. I woke up for a few seconds with a gasp.

"Liss?" Rose asked from somewhere behind me.

"I'm fine." I yawned and fell back to sleep.

**Rose's POV**

Of course, my humanity started slipping away the next morning. It was early morning when I started to feel hungry. That might not be weird for anyone else, but it was bad for a Strigoi. I was craving the blood I'd been deprived of over the last few days. And my best looking candidate was Mom. She was closest to me, currently vulnerable, and I had the satisfaction of knowing she'd never been bitten by a Strigoi before.

But then again, I felt like a horrible person for thinking that. How could I feed off my mom? Pretty easily, I decided. I bit into her neck and she immediately gasped in surprise.

"Rose..." Mom's stern tone quickly changed into moans of ecstasy.

They were fairly small moans, so no one even noticed. I took a cruel joy in reducing my perfect guardian mom into a whimpering feeder. Then... I didn't. I suddenly realized the horror of what I was doing. I was turning the best guardian there was into a feeder. And not only that, but she was my mother. I immediately stopped and fell back on the floor.

"Rose..." Mom wanted me to come back.

I scrambled up and into the bathroom, slamming the door on my way.

"Rose?" Lissa sounded groggy.

I backed into the tub and started hyperventilating. Strigoi weren't supposed to hyperventilate... but I was. It wasn't a physical reaction, it was an emotional one. My darkest emotions always seemed to be the ones flooding back into me when I felt my humanity.

"Guardian Hathaway!" Lissa exclaimed. "Abe! Christian! Eddie!"

I heaved sobs that wracked my body with agony. I'd bitten my mother. My perfect mother. That was even worse than when I bit Lissa.

"Rose..." Eddie opened the bathroom door.

He and my other friends stared at me in shock and misery as they saw me. I was in the bath tub, sobbing, and my knees were drawn to my chest. It probably didn't help my image to have my mom's blood running down my chin.

"Rose..." Lissa sprang forward and hugged me.

The others looked like they didn't want her near me, but you can't really stop her once she's got her mind made up.

I sniffed her hair slightly. "Wow, Adrian was right."

"About what?" Lissa asked.

"The right amount of sweat and perfume does smell good." I admitted.

"See? Does no one else notice when Rose hits on Lissa? She even gave Lissa a _hickey_ yesterday!" Christian exclaimed.

"Relax Pyro, I'm not hitting on her." I steadied my breathing. "It was just a casual observation. Girls can notice things about each other without feeling insecure about our sexuality."

"What's going on?" Victor yawned groggily.

"Go back to bed, convict." Abe snapped. "This doesn't concern you."

"_You're_ the ones who dragged me into this." Victor pointed out. "And why is the whore mumbling on her bed?"

I immediately sprang up and tackled Victor. "What did you call my mother?"

"Nothing..." Victor insisted. "I said nothing."

Eddie pulled me off of Victor before I got the chance to do anything further. "Stop creating conflict. It's not helping you or anyone else."

Abe reached out a hand and started to help Victor up. As soon as Victor was up, Abe punched him and he fell back again.

"Don't call Janine a whore." Abe growled.

"He's not worth it, trust me." Christian said. "Let's just go check on Guardian Hathaway to make sure she's okay."

Abe and Christian left me alone with Lissa and Eddie—and Victor by default.

"I want to just find Robert already." I sighed. "And then kill Victor."

"Let's focus on the part about Robert for now." Lissa sighed. "And we can't even find Robert until sunset—unless you want to go out into the sun. It's still early morning. You'll have to wait at least twelve hours if you want to minimize sun exposure."

"But the longer we wait, the worse I get!" I exclaimed.

"And if we go out now, you'll be burned alive!" Lissa countered. "Let's just wait until later."

"_Or_ you could just put me under the blanket again while we're in the car and then take me out of it when we go inside somewhere." I pointed out.

"She has a point." Eddie shrugged. "And we have to start driving before sundown anyway. It's going to take a few hours to get to Las Vegas from here."

"We have to consult the others before we decide that." Lissa sighed.

"Guardian Hathaway is a little out of commission, Christian and Victor don't need to be consulted, and Abe's wants this done as soon as possible." Eddie said.

"I'm _right_ here, you know." Victor said as he tried and failed to get up.

"Christian has the same rights as you when it comes to being consulted. Besides, we all love Rose—we wouldn't be here otherwise—so we should all be consulted on matters that consult her safety." Lissa pointed out.

"You're both right, okay! So can we just see what they think and then get moving? I'll agree to consult them, but I don't have to do what they say if it's against my wishes. I've never been known to do what I'm told. The only time I do is when I know it's a serious situation that the authority figure is right about." I said.

Eddie and Lissa finally came into agreement and we walked out to where everyone else was. Christian was putting bandages on Mom's bite marks while Abe lightly stroked her face.

"I shouldn't have left you." Mom laughed halfheartedly, obviously still high on Strigoi endorphins.

"You didn't have much choice—at least, not without risking both of our lives." Abe said. "And Rose's..."

"She asked about you a lot as a child." Mom stared at the ceiling more than Abe. "She had the feeling that the reason you were gone wasn't because you were dead."

"Did you tell her I was dead?" Abe scoffed.

"Of course not. I just didn't tell her anything, so she came up with her own theories. She eventually decided that you probably dumped me after you found out I was pregnant, like most Moroi men do to Dhampirs. But now she knows you were indirectly there the whole time." Mom smiled.

"Guys." I didn't want to interrupt the tender moment, but I had to. "We should start driving to Las Vegas. It's going to take a few hours to get there anyway, and we could just put the blanket over me again until we go inside."

"That's a good idea." Abe admitted.

"Uh, maybe we should go now. Like _right_ now. And get a new car." Christian was looking out the window.

"Why?" Abe asked.

"Because there are guardians checking ours out." Christian said.

We all looked out the window, and sure enough, there were some poorly disguised guardians snooping around our van. There were even a few Alchemists. One of the guardians was dressed as a cop and looked like he was asking the hotel manager questions.

"We need to move, now." Eddie said.

"But Janine can't walk around yet, and I'm not leaving her behind." Abe said.

"I'd pick her up, but you can't trust me around her just yet, and I'm still handcuffed." I said. "Someone has to carry her."

"I'm already carrying you in the blanket and Lissa and Christian don't have the strength." Eddie said.

"I'll carry her. It's been a while since I've carried anyone, but it shouldn't be too different compared to the last time I carried her. She doesn't seem like she's changed in terms of weight." Abe said.

Sure enough, Abe lifted Mom and started heading for the door.

"You two have to guard Victor." Eddie looked at Lissa and Christian.

Lissa and Christian helped Victor up and practically dragged him out of the bathroom.

"What's going on? Where are we going?" Victor asked.

"We're escaping from the guardians who have come to take you back to prison." Lissa said. "Now shut up."

Eddie threw the blanket over me, picked me up, and started running outside.

"Where are we getting a new car from? Especially one that will hold all of us?" Christian asked.

"We'll focus on that when we can." Eddie said.

When we got outside—the back door—I got an idea. "Christian, sneak towards the front and set the van on fire."

"What?" Christian looked confused.

"Do it. They'll think we're nearby and won't even bother to check and see if we're already gone." I said.

There was no response from Christian, but I heard some fading footsteps. When the footsteps came back, Christian said, "Okay, the van's on fire. I think they're pretty distracted."

"Good job, Sparky." I smirked. "Now, let's go."

We walked and ran for what I assume was a few blocks before finally stopping.

"Well, I assume those were Tarasov's guardians, so we shouldn't have to worry about them knowing who we are. All of you can wait out here while I go in and get a car." Abe said.

"You want us to stay out here with Rose thrown over my shoulder in a blanket, Guardian Hathaway only barely coming to her senses, and Victor wearing a prison jumpsuit?" Eddie scoffed.

"I won't take long to get a car. Besides, stranger things happen in Nevada—even if you aren't in Las Vegas." Abe sounded like he was shrugging.

"Just hurry. The heat's already bothering me, and it will only get worse." I said. "Plus, even Moroi aren't supposed to get too much sun exposure."

I was pretty sure I heard Abe chuckle before he left. He came back a few minutes later with the sound of keys jangling.

"So, what did you get this time?" I asked.

"Something so obvious that the guardians won't suspect a thing." Abe said.

I wasn't sure what that meant, but when we walked to whatever it was, I heard Eddie say, "Oh, you've got to be kidding me."

"What?" I asked.

"You'll see when we get inside." Lissa giggled.

It felt like Eddie had walked up a set of stairs to get us inside the vehicle. Oh God, I think I know what this is. My thoughts were confirmed when Eddie took the blanket off. We were sitting in an RV. Luckily, the windows had curtains to cover them—that meant I could maneuver around the entire RV except for the front.

"You got an RV? Really?" I sighed.

"It's big enough to hold all of us, contains beds, and you won't die from sunlight creeping through the windows." Abe smirked.

"Just start driving." I rolled my eyes.

"Who wants to sing a song for the road?" Christian teased.

"We are not going to have a sing-along in this RV. This feels enough like a weird family road trip already." I gritted my teeth.

Christian proceeded to burst into song, just to annoy me.

"It's funny how he thinks I'm hitting on you, but he's the one that's making himself look really gay right now." I whispered to Lissa.

She giggled and pulled out her phone. "And I'm going to video it for future reference."

I smirked conspiratorially. We got a good five minutes of comedy gold before Christian realized what we were doing and stopped singing. About an hour later, Mom came out of the back room—they'd put her in there to rest earlier. She sat next to me, seeming cautious yet calm.

"Are you sure you want to sit with me?" I asked.

"I doubt you'll bite me again, but I'll be ready if you do." Mom said. "I shouldn't have let my guard down in the first place..."

"Trust me, there's nothing wrong with letting your guard down." Eddie said. "Strigoi just know how to manipulate people really well. Besides, I would've trusted Rose—she's acted a lot more human until this morning. Plus, it's hard to see your daughter as a monster."

"You're just a kid, and you've already seen and done more than some guardians do in their entire lives. I'm impressed, Mr. Castille. When you want to become a guardian, I'll put in a good recommendation for you." Mom smirked.

Eddie brightened. "Really? That means a lot coming from you."

"It does?" Mom looked confused.

"Yeah. You're one of the most talked about guardians at the Academy. You have a really good record. Plus, Rose talks about how badass you are all the time, and-" Eddie cut himself off as he realized his mistake—Mom didn't know I'd ever complimented her before we made amends.

"You tell everyone I'm badass?" Mom asked.

"With the stories you've told me and your record, it's kind of hard to pretend you're a sucky guardian. Before I met Dimitri, you were the maximum level on my scale of badassedness." I shrugged.

"Belikov ranks higher than me?" Mom scoffed.

"According to Rose and Mason, Dimitri's a badass God." Eddie smirked. "Which means you're a mere mortal by comparison."

"Ouch. I think you wounded my pride." Mom laughed.

"To be fair, he was trained in Russia. They're way more strict in terms of instruction." I smirked.

"How would you know?" Lissa asked.

"Dimitri told me." I said. "His instructor once sent psi-hounds after him so he could learn to fight and survive against them."

"And how do we know Dimitri wasn't just trying to impress you?" Mom questioned.

"Because Dimitri doesn't lie about his training." I stated. "Besides, I've seen the scar from where he got scratched by one."

"I've never seen a scar on him." Lissa scoffed.

"_You_ wouldn't have. It's in a place where you can't see it—at least, not while he's fully clothed." I admitted.

"Wouldn't that hurt?" Christian looked skeptical.

"Duh. But I'm not talking about where you're thinking of. I meant that it's on his lower back—you guys have never seen him shirtless." I rolled my eyes.

"Oh, thank God. I thought we were talking about somewhere inappropriate—and that's not the kind of conversation I want to have with my daughter." Mom sighed with relief.

"Mom, aren't you an atheist?" I asked. "You just said _Oh, God_."

"With the way most people use it, it's like saying _oh, shit_." Mom shrugged.

"Point taken." I admitted.

We had conversations on the road for about another five hours before we finally reached Las Vegas. It was sometime after noon, so that meant I really couldn't get out of the RV. I just hoped Victor's information would prove useful. He was sitting in the front with Abe.

"Alright, where does he live?" I asked.

"He doesn't tell me where he lives. He gives me a general area and then meets me in nearby places." Victor scoffed.

"Why? Is he afraid of being captured by the Moroi? Did he commit a crime?" I questioned.

"No, he's just paranoid. Spirit users tend to get that way after a certain point in their lives. That or they become so trusting they get themselves killed." Victor said.

Lissa looked nervous at that statement.

"Then set up a meeting." Eddie said. "Have him meet us somewhere."

"I still don't understand what you want with him. What makes you think he can save Rose?" Victor questioned.

"Because your brother told some other Spirit users that he once brought a Strigoi back to her original form. It's like he fixed her." I said.

"That's just a rumor." Victor was obviously lying.

Then I pieced something together. "No, it's not. And you know it. That's why you were so willing to let Natalie turn Strigoi. You thought you could take her to Robert and he'd cure her."

That realization hit everyone hard. The conversation was silent for a moment as everyone pondered that possibility. Victor was still cruel for making his daughter go through that, but now we knew he wasn't planning on leaving her that way. Her death was just an accident that foiled his plans of turning her back.

"Set up the meeting with Robert. Now." I said.

"And how do you expect me to do that?" Victor asked.

"With this." Abe tossed his cell phone at Victor. "And put it on speaker, so we know you're not leading us into a trap."

Victor dialed a number and set the phone to speaker. We all waited in a tense suspense as the phone rang.

"Hello? Who is this?" A voice that sounded similar to Victor's said.

"Robert, it's Victor." Victor said. "I'm in Las Vegas and I was hoping you could meet me at the Witching Hour."

"Why aren't you using your phone?" The voice sounded childish—in a mentally disabled way, not a whiny way.

"Because I lost it. Can you please just meet me at the Witching Hour? I've missed you, and I have some friends I want you to meet." Victor requested.

"Alright, brother. I'll try to be there within an hour." Robert said.

"I'll see you then, Robert. I love you." Victor sounded sincere.

"I love you too, Victor." Robert hung up the phone.

"Sounds like you have a loving relationship with your brother." I commented.

"Contrary to your belief, I do have human feelings that extend to my family members." Victor sighed.

"Apparently they aren't strong enough to cover your children." I remarked.

Victor glared at me in silence and then turned to look out his window. We stopped at the Witching Hour and Abe went inside for a few minutes. He came back with a shopping bag.

"Here, put these on." Abe threw the bag at Victor.

"What is it?" Victor asked.

"Clothes. Your brother and anyone else who sees you will be suspicious if you're wearing prison clothes." Abe said.

The clothes were definitely less suspicious than Victor's jumpsuit, but they were also something he'd never normally wear. It was a t-shirt and jeans. Abe even bought sneakers.

"You look like an old man trying to recapture his youth." I snickered. "Oh wait, that's exactly what you were using Lissa's powers for."

"You have no respect for your elders, do you?" Victor asked.

"I'll start respecting you when you make yourself respectable—and when you start respecting me." I said.

"Alright, I think we get the point." Mom said. "Stop bickering."

"He started it." I muttered.

Just as Robert promised, he was at the Witching Hour within an hour. Victor stepped outside, Eddie close behind.

"Robert!" Victor called.

Robert grinned and came with Victor into the RV. "Not the kind of place I expected to see you, but it's nice."

Robert looked a lot like Victor, but some of his facial features very obviously came from his other parent.

Victor hugged Robert. "Robert, my friends would like to ask you some questions."

"Ask away." Robert didn't seem like he was mentally with us.

"We heard that you once brought a Strigoi out of it's dark state and turned her back into who she was before she was turned." Lissa said. "Is that true?"

"Ah, yes. She was so grateful... believed she was in love with me..." Robert stared off into space.

"How did you change her back? That's supposed to be impossible." Lissa was patient with him.

"Oh, it's simple really. I..." Robert scrutinized Lissa. Then he grinned. "You're a Spirit user!"

"Yes, I am." Lissa confirmed. "Can you please tell me how you changed her back?"

"Ah, right. You see, all that is required is a charmed stake and a Spirit user." Robert said.

"Care to elaborate?" I asked.

When Robert turned to look at me, his face fell. "You... you're a Strigoi. And you're Shadow Kissed... to her. She brought you back from the dead once, but you've been killed again... and the bond didn't leave you..."

"That's right." I said.

"Ah, that's why. You still have humanity because of her." Robert smiled.

"What?" Lissa asked.

"The only reason your bond mate isn't completely evil yet is because your feelings and humanity are being sensed by her. You already know the bond makes the Shadow Kissed feel whatever the Spirit user feels, which is why she still feels humanity. She's feeling humanity and many of her other emotions through you. But this won't last forever. Dark feelings take hold quickly in Spirit users, so she'll start to feel more Strigoi when they come. You've come to me to help you change her back." Robert sounded perfectly logical as he said this.

"Y-yes. Now, can you please explain what you mean? All stakes are charmed. And what does the Spirit user have to do?" Lissa asked.

"The stake has to be charmed with Spirit, and then the Spirit user has to be the one to drive the stake into the Strigoi's heart. Then the reaction causes the darkness to leave the Strigoi and they go back to their original state." Robert explained. "Simple."

"If it's so simple... could you teach us how to charm some stakes?" I asked.

"I can. But I must warn you, when the stake goes into the Strigoi's heart, you all need to cover your eyes. And as the Dhampirs well know, it's very difficult for a Moroi to pierce flesh and ribs well enough to stake anyone—let alone a Strigoi—through the heart. And regardless of this Strigoi's current docile nature, she will try to revolt once the staking begins. You'll need a way to subdue her, perhaps with silver chains?" Robert suggested.

"I can get that, just charm this stake and show Lissa how to stake a Strigoi." Eddie handed over his silver stake.

Robert mumbled something that was unintelligible to everyone except Lissa, and Lissa and I could feel the surge of Spirit that went into the stake. Eddie brought out some silver chains from God knows where and bound me to my seat.

"Put as much force as possible into it, and if it doesn't hit the heart on the first thrust, keep pushing. Also, ignore everything the Strigoi says. She will say cruel things to prevent you from staking her." Robert said.

Lissa shakily moved the stake to a point precisely over my heart.

"No, move it a little lower and push up when you stake me. It will be too hard for you to go straight through my ribs." I advised. "And don't shake, it ruins precision."

Lissa moved it where I told her to and pulled back so she could put more force into it. As soon as she started to go forward, I panicked and all my dark Strigoi emotions came back to me.

"No! Don't stake me! It's going to hurt—physically and emotionally! Don't stab me through the heart! Don't make me feel anger, pain, sadness, heartbreak, and Spirit darkness! Please!" I cried. "And what if it doesn't work? What if Robert is lying to you and just wants to kill me?"

Lissa hesitated for a second, feeling guilt and pondering my words. Then she moved to try again.

"No, you bitch! I don't want to feel anything! I don't want to feel all that horror, and I also don't want to feel the _good_ emotions! I don't want to love you! I'd rather burn in hell with Dimitri!" I hissed.

Lissa stopped, shocked at my words.

"You have to ignore her." Robert reminded her.

"Don't do this to me! Dimitri won't want me anymore! I won't have him, or the beautiful sounds and colors, or the numbness that blocks the horrible emotions! I'll lose my immortality and have to die with all of you one day!" I sobbed.

Lissa looked too afraid to do anything.

"You have to ignore her!" Robert repeated. "Stake her!"

Tears fell from Lissa's eyes as she swung the stake straight into my chest, just the way I told her to.

"Shield your eyes!" Robert warned as he covered his eyes.

Eveeryone followed what he said. Except for Lissa and I. A strange feeling burst through me. No, this feeling is familiar. It's what Spirit feels like, but on a larger scale. And my emotions followed soon after. I first felt all of the negative emotions—pain, loss, and sorrow—then I felt all the good emotions—happiness, Spirit, and love. All those emotions washed over me in such and agonizingly quick way that I couldn't handle it and I cried and screamed—and all this was while a blinding white light surrounded us. The light soon faded, but my wave of emotions didn't.

**Lissa's POV**

The surge of Spirit I'd used felt good, but I knew that the darkness was going to hit me just as hard later. After the blinding white light disappeared, I surveyed the scene. Everyone was on the floor, recovering from the light's intensity. Rose and I were the only people still in a sitting position. I looked at her and realized something strange. The bond was going in reverse—I felt what she felt. I felt her pain and misery and everything that she'd been afraid to feel again. And I understood why she was so afraid. It hurt like hell. But now she understood why I wanted to save her. Getting rid of her dark twisted state felt good—perfect, even.

"Lissa..." Rose whimpered.

This was the weakest I'd ever seen her. "Shh, it's okay. Everything will be okay."

"Lissa..." Rose repeated.

"I promise everything will be okay." I said.

I had a feeling I'd be comforting her for a while.


	13. Recovery

**Chapter 13: Recovery**

**Rose's POV**

After being in such a dark state, being a Dhampir again was the best feeling I'd ever had. But it also caused an emotional overload, so I had to be taken care of. I could barely say anything, and when I did, I was usually saying Lissa's name. That's why I was in the back room of the RV with Lissa holding me close as we drove back to Montana. Abe figured security at the airports would get suspicious of my shaky behavior, and we had enough time to drive back before the Queen could have Dimitri executed. He was the only other person I wanted to see besides Lissa, so our situation suited me fine. As nervous as Lissa was about my current state of weakness, I think she was glad I'd finally turned to her for comfort instead of bottling it in—or turning to someone else, like Dimitri. She may have understood why I loved him and knew it was stupid to be jealous, but that didn't change the fact that I'd opened up more to him during the last year I'd known him than I had to her in my entire life. And it didn't help that I'd lied about my feelings for him to her until after I thought he was gone forever. I just hoped she'd forgive me eventually. I'd always wanted Lissa happy, but I felt even more obligated to keep her happy now that she'd saved my soul. And the way she looked when I told her I was leaving for Russia... it was the worst pain I'd ever experienced aside from heartbreak.

"Rose... I'm sorry about the way I reacted when you left the Academy to save Dimitri. I know it was selfish, and that you've put me ahead of you our entire lives, but I couldn't stand the thought that you were abandoning me to go on what I thought was a suicide mission." Lissa said.

"You weren't completely wrong. I'd be dead right now if it weren't for you." I said, staring up at her in wonder.

Lissa seemed completely caught off guard by my adoring stare and was too shocked to say anything for a moment. Then she spoke up. "But thanks to the choices you've made, we can save you and Dimitri. You make it sound like I did all the work. You're the one who found Mark and Oksana, who led us to Robert. And I wouldn't be here if you weren't constantly protecting me."

"That's exactly why I'll never leave you again." I hugged Lissa closer. "I love you, Liss."

Lissa had always wanted me to open up to her, but it was hard and weird to see me being the eternally grateful one, the weak one. Lissa had always been physically weaker, and she readily admitted when she was under emotional distress, but she always had an outward confidence. I was usually physically stronger and portrayed that same outward confidence, but I'd always been more emotionally vulnerable. I knew Lissa had always known that in some way, but she'd never talked about it or seen me put it on display. Even when I admitted my fears, I was cocky and confident to her. Now... now the dam of my emotions had broken in a way that put my vulnerability on display for the world. I think it especially scared Eddie and Abe. The only time I'd broken down this badly was when Mason died, but everyone had expected that because everyone except Dimitri and I thought I was in love with Mason. My _boyfriend_ dying was the only logical explanation for a breakdown in someone as guarded as me. But the truth was... Mason wasn't even the part that broke me down. He might have been the tip of the iceburg, but my breakdown was from a culmination of the stress I'd acquired throughout my entire life. Christian had talked to Lissa enough to understand that I was an emotionally vulnerable person, so he wasn't as worried as everyone else. Even Mom had seen more of my last breakdown than Eddie had.

"Rose, you are the strong one." Lissa insisted.

"How do you seem to know what I'm thinking? You've done that twice now." I said.

"It's like the bond is working in reverse—like I can feel everything you feel. It's weird, but I understand what you mean about how even temporarily losing the bond is like losing a limb. I can kind of feel that whole extra limb thing going on with it." Lissa admitted.

"I wonder if that's permanent, or just a temporary side effect of the staking." I pondered.

"I guess it could be anything." Lissa laughed halfheartedly. "Maybe the bonds will go both ways for once."

"Just like you've always wanted." I said.

Lissa sighed. "Are you okay? Like, do you feel like you'll be too afraid to talk to everyone else?"

"As long as I'm with you, I feel okay." I laid my head on her chest.

"How do you feel... about everything? How do you feel about people, like our friends and your parents?" Lissa asked.

"Trust me Lissa, I'm grateful to Abe for helping you change me back. I may not have known him my whole life, but knowing he's trying is what counts to me." I said. "And I feel the same about everyone else as I did before my awakening-er turning."

"Really?" Lissa asked.

"I think I love you more than I did before, but that's not exactly a horrible change." I admitted.

"As long as you don't turn lesbian and prove Christian right." Lissa smirked.

"I don't swing that way." I scoffed. "As nice as girls are, I have a Dimitri. There's no female substitute for that."

She and I both laughed at the joke as well as the positive turn of events.

"Rose?" Eddie knocked—even though he opened the door anyway. "If you're okay now, Abe said you should come out here. He needs to tell us something."

I immediately sprang up from the bed we'd been lying on, but I made sure to keep a hold of Lissa's hand. It seemed wrong to leave her after all she'd done for me. When we got back into the main section of the RV, I could practically feel everyone's eyes as they kept sneaking glances at me, curious about my physical and emotional state.

"What did you want to tell us, Old Man?" I asked.

Lissa and I sat together and I made sure to keep a hold of her hand.

Abe sighed. "Unfortunately, it looks like the Queen is coming faster than we expected. She'll be at the Academy by nightfall."

"But we can't drive to the Academy by nightfall!" I exclaimed.

"Exactly. That's why we're stopping here in Salt Lake to catch a private jet I've arranged." Abe said. "I'm hoping Kirova and Alberta will let us back into the Academy without a fight, otherwise we'll be too late."

That made me anxious and I gripped Lissa's hand tighter. She put her other hand on mine in a calming gesture so I'd loosen my tight grip.

"Hurry. We have to save Dimitri." Lissa insisted.

I felt a small amount of my anxiety release as I realized Lissa was doing this half for me, and half because she still considered Dimitri a friend. I took that as a sign of forgiveness for the way I left her.

"We will. I promise." Mom said.

It was a nice change to finally have everyone on my side. When we finally got to the airport Abe was using, I was almost too afraid to go outside.

"I promise it will be worth it Rose. You're safe now." Lissa extended her hand for me to hold on my way out of the RV.

I slowly and tentatively exited the RV, but once I was out, I didn't want to go back in. I looked up at the sun I once thought I'd never see again and smiled brightly. Then, like an idiot—or a prisoner—I twirled and danced arouns as I basked in the warm sunlight. I'd once loved the night, thinking the day was too bright, but I now loved how overly bright it was.

"Come on." Lissa grinned. "We have to get on the plane now, but you can play in the sunlight later. I'll even give you the window seat."

And with that, we boarded the plane that would take us back to Montana, back to the Academy, and back to Dimitri. We were off to save the man I loved.


	14. Rescue

**Chapter 14: Rescue**

**Rose's POV**

Robert re-charmed the stake on our way back to the Academy. Everyone else contented themselves with either small talk or stares of fascination as I silently giggled at the sunlight out my window. Victor stared at me the most, but not out of fascination—it was out of pain and regret. He knew that if he'd been smarter about his escape plan, he could've saved Natalie, watched her be just as happy as I was. But all chances of that were long gone now, so it depressed him. As evil as he was... I actually felt sorry for the old bastard. His actions may not have been justified, but he at least felt guilt over what he'd done to his daughter. Maybe he even felt guilt for us somewhere in that cold heart of his.

"So, where did you get this plane, Abe?" Eddie asked. "We know you're a mobster, but we didn't think you had connections this high."

"This is actually part of my blackmail on the Queen, but she shouldn't know I'm using it until later." Abe said.

"What blackmail do you have on her, exactly?" I pulled my attention away from the window.

"If I told, it wouldn't really be blackmail." Abe pointed out.

"But who's going to believe a bunch of teenagers who have beef with the Queen?" I countered.

Abe smirked. "She sleeps with a Dhampir feeder. I believe his name is Ambrose."

A Dhampir being a feeder was a weird thought, but I wasn't exactly in a position to judge. "She sleeps with a feeder?"

"Yes, and he's probably only a few years older than you." Abe chuckled.

Ew, creepy image. Now I could start judging. Well... maybe not, considering the age gap between Dimitri and I. On the other hand, it was only seven years. The gap between the Queen and Ambrose had to be around forty years.

"You know, you said beef." Lissa said.

"When?" I smirked.

"You said we had beef with the Queen." Lissa smirked back.

Everyone stared at us in confusion, but they didn't have time to say anything before Lissa and I burst into song.

"Tell your boyfriend, if he says he's got beef, that I'm a vegetarian, and I ain't fucking scared of him!" We sang—then we laughed.

"That song is so old." Christian said.

"You're older than that song." Eddie pointed out, grinning. "Besides, they made a deal to sing that song any time one of them said beef."

"I remember when you made that deal. Vasilissa's parents laughed so hard—even after you said the F word." Victor mused.

"They laughed especially after we said the F word." Lissa corrected.

"On the bright side, we're here." Abe said. "But unfortunately, the Queen was a little earlier than expected."

I looked out my window to see that the Queen's jet had already arrived at the Academy's landing strip. I started hyperventilating. Dimitri was in serious danger... He could already be dead, gone forever...

"Rose." Lissa interrupted my thoughts. "We'll save him in time. Be positive."

I suddenly realized something. Neither of us was speaking out loud—the bond really was going both ways, not just in reverse.

"Lissa, I have to save him. I can't go through this again... I can't lose him again..." I said out loud.

"I know. And I promise we'll save him." Lissa stated firmly.

Promises like that were tricky, but I had to believe her. I had to believe Dimitri still had a chance.

We landed a few minutes later, and I was the first to rush off the plane. I had a spark of emotion pass through me from being home, but I ignored that as I ran for the only place that would fit all the students and be suited to the Queen. The auditorium. My friends weren't far behind me, all of them worried about either me or Dimitri. Victor and Robert were pretty much dragged along by Christian and Eddie though.

"Kirova, I'd fire you if it weren't for the fact that Mr. Lazar just stepped down." The Queen's familiar voice said.

We'd managed to get in a side door near the stage.

"I understand, your majesty. But... I couldn't watch Rose be staked. I know her too well, I was too close to her. Even our guardians agreed, and you know they're all well trained to stake Strigoi. We were looking for someone who was willing to stake Rose. We couldn't find anyone in the school, and no one had the heart to stake Dimitri either. Those two were just too close to us." Kirova sighed.

"I suppose the past is the past, but Belikov will be staked right now. And Miss Hathaway will be once she's found too. I just can't believe her mother was in on the escape. People like the Dragomir princess, Abe Mazur, and their friends make sense. But Guardian Hathaway... I expected better of her." The Queen sighed.

Mom winced and flinched.

"To be fair, your majesty, could you stake your child? Or even let them be staked? Even your extended family, like Adrian?" Kirova pointed out.

"Of course not. But I don't have to. I'm a Moroi, not a guardian." The Queen said.

I knew she didn't mean it offensively, but it still hurt.

"Please, Aunt Tatiana. Can you just hold off the staking a little longer? I'm not making any promises, but I just need a little longer." Adrian begged.

"As much as I wish I could help you... I can't. My duty to my people comes first, Adrian dear. No matter how unfortunate that is, it's the truth." The Queen sighed. "Let's get this over with."

The Queen took the stage and everything became silent.

The Queen cleared her throat. "I know how shocking this situation may be to you—and that you've probably heard many rumors—but this is reality. Guardian Dimitri Belikov was turned Strigoi in the original attack on your school. He fled to Siberia with other Strigoi, but Rose Hathaway couldn't leave it at that. Because he was her friend and mentor, she went to Siberia to stake him and was turned herself."

Many people gasped at that. Not the great Rose Hathaway?! I was glad to know my reputation was good, but still.

"And then they aided the other Strigoi in attacking your school again. Rose Hathaway has escaped and is off somewhere with Edison Castille, Vasilissa Dragomir, and her parents. I don't know of what has or will become of them, but it likely won't be good. And since Dimitri Belikov hasn't escaped, he will be killed now." The Queen made a gesture.

Stan and Alberta reluctantly dragged Dimitri onstage. Collective gasps were heard throughout the room.

"Any last words, Strigoi?" The Queen asked.

"Roza will come for me. She always does. And it's not because I'm her instructor. It's because she's in love with me." Dimitri chuckled. "You blind fools. It should have been obvious, especially after she came looking for me in Russia. And if it pleases you to know, she did put up a good fight, but she was no match for me in the end."

The Queen looked startled, but she composed herself quickly. "Stake him."

A guardian—one who probably didn't know Dimitri very well—lifted a stake and poised it in a good position to stake Dimitri.

"No!" I screamed and jumped in front of Dimitri.

I got a mixed reaction from the room—surprise, crying, gasping, and fear.

"R-Rose Hathaway." The Queen backed up.

"Please, Queen Tatiana. Don't kill him. Just look at me and you'll know you can trust me. I'm not a Strigoi." I said.

"How do I know you're not trying to compel me?" The Queen looked down.

Guardians were rushing towards the stage.

"Because you know me! You may be scolding me almost every time you see me, but you know me! You even know me well enough that you knew who my father was before I did! Sure, he's usually blackmailing you, but that's not the point. Look at me!" I begged.

The Queen reluctantly looked up and into my eyes. I knew she was studying me, looking for signs of being a Strigoi. I wasn't pale, there was no red in my eyes—except what was caused by tears—I had no fangs, and rather than looking like a vicious Strigoi... I was pretty sure I looked like a scared little girl.

Tatiana's guardians seized hold of me.

"If I wanted to kill you, I would've already done it and dragged Dimitri through an escape! I'm just a Dhampir begging for another Dhampir's life! We can save his soul! We can turn him back, just like me! Please!" I shouted.

"Put her down." The Queen said.

"Your majesty..." One of the guardians started to protest.

"Put her down." The Queen repeated. "I want to hear what she has to say."

Her guardians reluctantly released me and I cautiously walked up to the Queen.

"Please... let us prove that we can save Dimitri. And if we don't, he'll still be staked. We're going to stab him with a stake that's been charmed by Spirit—the same one Lissa saved me with." I said.

The Queen looked conflicted for only a second before nodding. "Prove it."

"Lissa!" I called.

Lissa, Christian, Eddie, Mom, Abe, Victor, and Robert all followed me onstage.

"Victor Dashkov? What is he doing here?" The Queen asked.

"He was the only way we could find the Spirit user who helped Lissa save me—Victor's half-brother Robert." I said. "But you can have him back now."

The Queen's guardians immediately seized Victor.

"No! Rose!" Victor exclaimed.

"I never promised I'd keep you out of prison after you helped me." I stated.

Robert looked conflicted as Victor was dragged away, but he stayed with us.

"The rest of you need to hold Dimitri down. I'm surprised he hasn't tried escaping yet." I said.

My friends and I made sure Dimitri was held down while Lissa got on top of him with the stake.

"Roza, you smell different. This is how you smelled as a Dhampir, but you smelled like a Strigoi—like death—when I last saw you. Why do you smell like a Dhampir again?" Dimitri questioned.

"Because I am a Dhampir again." I said. "Stab him, Lissa."

Lissa got in position to swing the stake through the same way she had to me. But Dimitri suddenly forced his weight against us and Lissa was knocked off. People screamed in fear. The stake slid to the other end of the room.

"Ow." Lissa held the back of her head where she'd fallen on it.

I scrambled for the stake. There was a loud crunch behind me and I turned to see that Dimitri had broken free of his chains. People screamed in fear, but he ignored all of them. His focus was on me as he charged in my direction. I grabbed the stake just as he reached me. He pulled me up by my hair and then moved so he could hold me up by choking my neck.

"I definitely wasted the awakening on you, petulant girl." Dimitri growled.

"Funny, you've never used the word petulant on me before." I wheezed out.

"You will die, now." Dimitri moved to slash my throat.

"I'm sorry about this." I choked out. "I love you."

Before he could react—or slash my throat—I swung the stake into his heart. I knew it was only supposed to work with the Spirit user, but I couldn't let him kill me, and another guardian was going to stab him anyway.

But light flooded the room the same way it had when I was saved by Lissa. Dimitri and I fell to the floor in a heap. After the light faded, I looked down to find Dimitri whimpering and clinging to me.

"Roza..." Dimitri whimpered.

He was experiencing emotional overload.

"Shh, I know. It's okay. You're okay. We're okay." I croaked out as I cradled Dimitri's head in my lap.

Everyone stared at us in wonder and amazement.

"Do you believe us now?" I asked the Queen.

She nodded silently.

"Eddie... help me carry Dimitri." I said.

Eddie and Mom immediately came over to help me carry Dimitri.

"Roza..." Dimitri made sure to keep a hold of my hand.

"I know. I know..." I stroked his head.

Eddie and Mom helped me carry Dimitri all the way to the cabin in the woods.

"Why is he being brought here?" Mom asked.

"He needs to be alone to recover and that won't happen in the normal housing at the Academy. This cabin hasn't been used in a while though." I said.

"And by alone, you mean alone with you." Eddie guessed.

"You can trust him just as much as you trust me." I promised. "Besides, he won't want to leave me after I just saved him. I don't want to leave Lissa, but... I have to."

Mom and Eddie nodded in understanding and left to get back to the Academy. Dimitri had been laid on the cabin's bed and I laid down next to him.

"You shouldn't be near me." Dimitri said.

"Don't say that." I clung to him.

"But I tried to kill you so many times, and even worse... I turned you. I turned you into a Strigoi." Dimitri's voice cracked. "I'm dangerous."

"I love you too much to let you go. Besides, staying away won't change the past, especially since you weren't in control of yourself when you hurt me. You aren't going to run away from me, nit after I saved you. You have to stay. You owe me that much..." I insisted.

Dimitri suddenly kissed me passionately. "I love you too, Roza."

He continued to kiss me and it ended up going even further. He needed something to hold onto—and that something was me.


	15. Home

**Chapter 15: Home**

**Rose's POV**

I woke up the next morning with Dimitri's arm around me. It gave me a surge of happiness I'd never felt before. Maybe feeling things wasn't so bad after all. I moved closer to him and breathed in his scent.

"Roza..." Dimitri's eyes opened.

They were their beautiful brown color and weren't plagued with red rims. I had a feeling he wanted to talk—we hadn't done much of that the night before.

"Yes?" I said.

"The way I felt when I was turned back to a Dhampir... is that how you felt?" He asked.

"If you mean the sudden wave of emotional overload that slowly turns into only good feelings, then yes, I did." I said.

"And Vasilissa is the one who saved you?" Dimitri asked.

"She was." I admitted.

"You saved me, Roza." Dimitri suddenly kissed me.

Every time he'd looked at me since last night, it was like he was staring at sone kind of Goddess. I didn't usually picture myself that way—even around him—so it was a strange feeling. Strange, but happy.

"We should probably shower. We haven't bathed since I was first turned into a Strigoi." I said.

Dimitri smiled in a way that melted my heart as he followed me to the bathroom. After we were in the shower, Dimitri ran his fingers over my neck. There was a bruise from where he'd choked me.

"It's not your fault." I said.

Dimitri smiled at one corner of his mouth before kissing the bruise. "I know. I'm sorry, Roza."

After the shower, we got back in yesterday's clothes—there were no clean ones in the cabin, so don't judge—and we walked outside. The rest of the Academy would be on a vampiric schedule, but we were out in the early morning. We were outside when everyone would just be going to sleep. We basked in the sunlight.

"I never want to be on a vampiric schedule again." I sighed.

"You'll have to—assuming you still want to protect Lissa." Dimitri said.

"Of course." I scoffed. "What else would I do?"

"Run away with me." Dimitri teased.

"I already did that, and we just ended up back here anyway." I smirked.

"If you asked, I'd run away with you." Dimitri said.

"As romantic as that sounds, I'm tired of running. I ran away with Lissa, and that didn't work out. And I ran to Russia for you, but that only brought us back here. We might as well just stay here." I said.

"Here at the Academy specifically?" Dimitri smirked.

"God, no. I'm ditching this place when I graduate. I meant staying with our friends and family." I laughed.

"That sounds good." Dimitri admitted. "As long as we can visit mine."

"Assuming your sister doesn't still hate me." I muttered.

"Which one? And why?" Dimitri asked.

"Viktoria. And it's because I chased away a guy that only would've gotten her pregnant." I said.

"You're so protective." Dimitri grinned and kissed me.

"It seems like she is." The Queen interrupted.

I turned around to find the Queen in relatively normal clothes—that was a change from her royal attire. "Your majesty?"

"I'm sorry, but I had to talk to you. I decided to wait since you two needed some recovery time, but I can't wait anymore." The Queen said.

"What do you need to tell us?" Dimitri immediately fell back into guardian mode.

"I wanted you two to know that you're both welcome to stay here—even under your relationship terms. I would normally let the school system fire Dimitri for developing a relationship with a student, but... you two have special circumstances. You can still personally instruct Rose, but you aren't otherwise considered a teacher." The Queen said.

"You couldn't wait to tell us that you're supporting our odd relationship?" I questioned. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I wasn't done." The Queen rolled her eyes. "I also wanted to ask if you two would support a research team I'm putting together that studies Spirit magic. You'd be both researcher and test subject, but it wouldn't be anything too hard."

"I'd be willing to help the cause." Dimitri said.

"As long as it's not the kind of experiments that get you sick or kill you, I don't see why not." I shrugged.

"And lastly... I'm putting a guard on you until you're safe from persecution." The Queen finished.

"What persecution?" Dimitri asked.

"What guard?" I questioned.

"A few highly recommended guardians. And anyone who heard about you two being Strigoi is now a threat to you. People don't like things they can't understand, and Spirit magic saving Strigoi is one of those things. And after last night... the Academy's students will probably spread the news." The Queen said. "Kirova said she's already got parents calling to pull their kids out of this hostile environment."

"The only thing hostile about me is my attitude when you piss me off." I scoffed.

"And Rose... I do think you should be Vasilissa's guardian. Regardless of your reckless judgement and behavior, you also know how to protect her to the fullest extent—especially with your bond." The Queen admitted.

She started to walk away.

"Tatiana?" I said.

"Yes?" The Queen turned back to me.

"Why are you trying to help me? I know you don't like me." I asked.

She smiled. "Admittedly... I don't hate you as much as I say I do. And... Adrian influenced me a little."

I smirked and the Queen shared a knowing smile with me before taking off—probably to sleep.

"I think she secretly likes you." Dimitri grinned.

"Shut up." I laughed.

We walked around the Academy, basking in the feeling of the sun. I felt like I could stay awake for days, so I decided to stay out all day and then still go to classes at night. It was fun to walk around the Academy—especially after we found a surprise.

When we reached Ms. Karp's old garden, we found Adrian. And he wasn't alone. I didn't recognize the blond girl he was kissing at first—I just knew it definitely wasn't Lissa—but then slow realization dawned on me. I knew that head of blond hair. She wasn't a Dhampir, or a Moroi, or a vampire of any sort. She was human Alchemist Sydney Sage.

"Sydney?" I blurted out.

She immediately jumped away from Adrian and completely turned red. "I... um... I..."

This was the first time I'd seen her dumbfounded and speechless. It was entertaining.

"What are you doing awake?" Adrian asked.

"I was on a human schedule after Lissa saved me." I said. "What are _you_ doing awake?"

"Please just don't tell anyone, Rose. Sydney can get in real trouble for this." Adrian said. "And you can't tell anyone either, Belikov."

"I wouldn't do anything to get Sydney in trouble." I scoffed. "You of all people should know I'd never let my friends get in trouble."

"You consider me your friend?" Sydney asked.

"Duh. You might think of me as an evil creature of the night, but I don't think badly of you. You're actually nice. And interesting." I said.

"And don't worry about me. I'm very adept at keeping secrets." Dimitri promised.

"But you guys have got to tell me the story of how this came to be sometime." I laughed. "Anyway, go back to your make out session. See you guys later."

Dimitri chuckled as I pulled him with me as we left. It ended up being an overall fun day. Then night fell and we were back on the Academy's schedule. My first set of classes was guardian related, so I didn't get to see Lissa. Dimitri reluctantly agreed to leave me alone and go back to the cabin in the woods. I was in another outfit instead of yesterday's clothes, but I might as well have been in my underwear to the other kids in my class. They all stared at me, all either wondering if I was still a Strigoi or judging me for my relationship with Dimitri—sometimes both. The only kid who didn't give me odd stares was Eddie, but that was because he understood, and because he was a real friend to me.

"Partner up." Stan said.

We were supposed to be having an exhibition match to show off our skills. Everyone avoided me like the plague. A few of them even partnered up with people I knew they hated so they could avoid me. Someone had tried to pair up with Eddie, but he turned them down and walked over to me.

"Want to be my partner?" He smiled.

"At least you aren't treating me like a disease." I sighed.

"They just don't understand like I do. And they aren't as close to you as me either." Eddie shrugged. Then he hugged me. "I missed you, Rose."

"I missed you too, buddy." I smiled as I hugged him back.

"This isn't a love fest. Get into fighting stances!" Stan chastised.

Eddie and I broke apart and got into position to fight each other. Eddie did pretty well against me, but I won in the end. Fighting off Strigoi in Russia gave me some good practice, and being a Strigoi for a few days hadn't had a detrimental effect on me.

"Nice job." Eddie panted. "You're even better than I remember."

"I was always better." I teased.

"See Alberta for your next class!" Stan shouted.

No one rolled out the welcome mat for me after that, but everyone started slowly warming back up to me—in the sense that I was more like someone with a cold than the plague. I could tell that my teachers had missed me though. Especially Alberta and Stan. Even my Moroi teachers were pretty nice when I finally got back into their classes. I think the Moroi were more afraid of my Strigoi nature than the Dhampirs, but they didn't seem to care about Dimitri, so I saw that as a plus. Striking fear into the hearts of rude Moroi was my job anyway, right?

"Hi, Rose." Lissa smiled widely, showing off her fangs for once.

"Hey, Liss." I hugged her after sliding in the seat next to her.

"So, is Dimitri okay? Are you okay?" Lissa asked.

"We're okay." I smiled. "He's a little clingy, but I can't really judge—that's the way I acted towards you after you saved me."

Lissa smirked. "Anyway, did anything fun happen after I was gone?"

"I found Adrian in a pretty funny position. But I'll tell you about that when we're around less people." I said.

"So, the whore is back?" A familiar—but unwelcome—voice chuckled.

I turned to see Jesse Zeklos. Ralf was behind him. "That's funny, I thought you were the whore, Jesse."

"Jesse doesn't flirt with every guy in school and sleep with teachers." Ralf said.

I clenched my fists in anger. "Nope. He just sleeps with every girl in school. And I wouldn't expect any of the teachers to be stupid enough to sleep with Jesse."

"I heard you're sleeping with Belikov and hanging around Adrian Ivashkov. I think that makes you the bigger whore." Jesse said.

I punched Jesse so hard that I heard his nose crack and he fell over in pain. "I've only slept with one person, while you've slept with almost everyone in the female population of the world! I'm pretty sure you're the bigger whore!"

"Hathaway!" Mr. Nagy exclaimed.

Ralf actually tried to hit me back and get revenge for Jesse. I grabbed his hand mid-punch and twisted his arm before kicking his legs out from under him—all while sitting at a desk. Both of them were writhing in pain. I suddenly felt a surge of anger pour through me and I moved to hurt them worse, but a set of guardians grabbed me before I could. I was too angry to let it end there though.

"What didn't you get enough of me in the woods?! I nearly beat you to death, and you're still trying to piss me off! I'm going to kill you, you pig! And I'll have Lissa torture you with her compulsion again!" I shouted as I was dragged out of the room.

Everyone was staring at me in horror but the face that caused me the most pain was Lissa's. She was staring at me with a mixture of sadness, guilt, and shock. I was dragged all the way into Kirova's office, where the two guardians sat me in a chair.

"I can sit by myself." I glared at them.

"What happened?" Kirova asked with an exasperated sigh.

"Jesse and Ralf. Why haven't you just kicked them out of school yet? You know they bait and bully people, not to mention that stupid club where they beat each other up and tortured people—including LIssa." I said.

"I know, but you know how it is with royal parents." Kirova sighed. "What happened this time specifically?"

"They called me a whore, tried to hit me, and they just piss me off!" I exclaimed.

"Calm down. I don't understand how this is any different than any other time they've said things like this to you." Kirova said.

She was right, it wasn't any different. The difference was that this time I'd been drawing on Lissa's Spirit darkness during my rage. Saving me was probably a big use of her power, so the Spirit darkness was coming back to bite her. It wasn't fair.

"Look, I know punching them wasn't the best answer, but you're not going to make me apologize, right? I had every right to defend myself—especially after Ralf tried to hit me." I said.

"Just tell me exactly what happened and I'll file this away—it will be on record, but it won't leave a black mark on your record." Kirova said.

I described everything in the best detail I could—including the part about Spirit darkness—and Kirova let me leave with nothing but a warning. I was finally back at home.


	16. Ghosts of the Past

**Chapter 16: Ghosts of the Past**

**Rose's POV**

When I got back to class, Mr. Nagy shook his head and sighed.

"What, did Kirova let you off the hook?" Mr. Nagy asked.

"Yes." I glared at Jesse and Ralf. They slid down further in their seats. "And Kirova wants you two in her office. Now."

Jesse and Ralf reluctantly got up and made their way to the classrooms door. I hissed at them like the vampires do in the movies and they ran past me out of the room. I laughed and took my seat.

"So... I'm going to torture them with compulsion while you torture them physically?" Lissa turned to me.

"Look, I'm sorry Liss. I was just so angry, and you're Spirit darkness didn't exactly help." I said.

"My Spirit darkness was affecting you again?" Lissa frowned.

"Considering the amount of Spirit it takes to change a Strigoi back to their original state, it shouldn't be a surprise." I said. "But cheer up. It's passed and the two manwhores are the ones in trouble."

Lissa smirked. "You know what would really cheer me up?"

"What?" I grinned.

"If you told me what odd position you found Adrian in." Lissa smiled innocently.

"Liss, I don't want to risk someone hearing me." I said.

"So write it down." Lissa suggested.

I shrugged and wrote something down. I passed Lissa the note, but it was intercepted by Mr. Nagy.

"Didn't you learn anything from the last time you passed notes in my class?" Mr. Nagy asked.

"Yeah, don't get caught." I said.

Mr. Nagy rolled his eyes and went to the front of the room to read the note. "Let's see if this is another conversation about boys."

"Not the way you think it is." I muttered.

Mr. Nagy cleared his throat. "_Fine, I'll tell you. I saw Adrian kissing..._ What's this series of dots and dashes?"

"It's called morse code. It's standard for all guardians to learn, just in case. See, I did learn something from the last time you got us." I smirked.

"But how would the princess have read it?" Mr. Nagy asked.

"Rose taught me in our spare time on the run. We got bored." Lissa shrugged.

"But the guardians haven't even taught us that yet." A fellow Dhampir pointed out.

"I have a guardian for a mom and I lived with her on the job for five years before she dumped me here. And she's not great at normal bonding activities, so you do the math." I said.

"I can read morse code." Celeste said.

I gaped at her. "You wouldn't sell me out... would you?"

Celeste shrugged and walked to the front of the room. "It says S-Y-D-N-E-Y. Someone named Sydney."

Lissa gasped and I covered her mouth to prevent her from saying anything.

"Who's Sydney?" Mr. Nagy asked.

"A very dear Moroi friend of ours who's visiting." I lied. "And now you've exposed her clandestine kiss with Adrian. Shame, Mr. Nagy, shame."

Mr. Nagy rolled his eyes and continued teaching the class. After class was over, Lissa pulled me into a dark corner.

"Adrian was kissing Sydney?!" Lissa exclaimed in a whisper.

"I don't know any details. I just saw them kissing and they made me swear not to tell anyone." I said.

"I want to press him for details, but I have a feeling he'll be mad at you if I do." Lissa said.

"He should be smart enough to know you don't count when it comes to me keeping a secret. Besides, Dimitri knows, and he's a horrible liar." I said.

"What are you talking about? Dimitri lies really well, especially when it's important." Lissa looked confused.

"Well then I guess I'm just resistant to his lies, because I've never had to worry about him lying to me." I shrugged.

"That's adorable." Lissa cooed.

"Shut up." I pushed her playfully.

As we continued to our next class, I felt a headache coming on, similar to the ones I got when ghosts were near. Then I saw something that horrified me. In the middle of the courtyard I saw... Lissa's family. I'd never seen them back when they'd first died, and according to that priest, ghosts only remained on Earth for forty days after their death. It had been much more than that.

"Rose, come on. What are you doing?" Lissa pulled on my arm.

I couldn't move as I stared at Lissa's family, bloody and bruised from the car crash. The bond must have still been going both ways, because Lissa suddenly stared at them in horror too.

"You're a disgrace as a guardian. You let Lissa heal you instead of her Moroi family in the car. What happened to _they come first_?" Eric Dragomir glared at me.

"You should've been the one to die, not us." Rhea Dragomir agreed.

"I should be the crown prince in our family, with Lissa a mere substitute behind me. She should've saved me instead of you. I'm her brother and you're just a novice!" Andre exclaimed.

I screamed while Lissa just sobbed. They couldn't be real... but their words still hurt. They cut the two of us deep. Lissa's Spirit darkness suddenly flared up and I took it into myself. I felt angry, sad, and depressed all at the same time. These were the emotions I'd avoided as a Strigoi. Everything eventually became black around me.

I woke up in Dr. Olendzki's office. She came over and tried shinning a light in my eyes, but I turned away and avoided it.

"Rose? Rose, do you know where you are? And what your name is?" Dr. Olendzki tried to get me to face her.

The Spirit darkness was still in me, and it made me babble. "Sorry... so sorry... shouldn't have healed me... should've saved family... Andre... Andre..."

I broke into a sob at the mention of Andre's name. Thoughts of his death had always made me more sad than the rest of the Dragomirs.

"Rose, it's okay. We're okay." Lissa tried to reassure me.

"Andre... Andre..." I continued to repeat his name.

"Why does she keep repeating his name like that?" Dr. Olendzki asked.

"I don't know, you're the doctor!" Lissa looked distraught. "Rose wasn't even that close to him, other than finding him attractive. But most girls did."

"Let me see." Oksana was in the room. "I might be able to find out the extent of what's wrong."

I'd thought she went back to Russia. Apparently not.

"Go ahead." Dr. Olendzki gestured to me.

Oksana knelt in front of me and I immediately felt the tingle of her mind reading. "Oh, you poor thing..."

"What?" Dimitri looked frantic.

"She'll need a healing charm. The Spirit darkness from Lissa mixed with her own shock and fear made her have a mental breakdown. She'll be fine after you get the healing charm on her though." Oksana said.

"Why do I feel like you're not telling us everything?" Lissa asked.

"Dear, do you know about your brother and Rose?" Oksana asked.

"What do you mean by that?" Lissa asked.

"The reason she keeps repeating his name is because she feels guilty for him. She believes she should have died in his place and... the fact that he's your brother isn't the only reason she wanted him to live." Oksana said.

"What's the other reason already?!" Lissa demanded.

"She cared for your brother. And not in the friendly or sibling kind of way. She once had a dating relationship with him." Oksana said.

"What? That's crazy. Rose would've told me about something like that, and Andre was never interested in her." Lissa insisted.

"According to the memories flashing through her mind, they used to date. You just didn't know about it. It was supposed to be a secret. Then Rose and Andre were caught by your father, so he made them stop." Oksana explained.

It was true, I had dated Andre briefly. It was mostly going to the movies and him getting me out of the Academy long enough to shop, but it had happened. I didn't really blame Lissa's dad for asking us to stop. He was at least nice about it, and he gave an explanation—one that didn't paint me as a lesser person to Moroi royalty. He just said we were a bit young to be dating, and he didn't want it to end up affecting my friendship with Lissa if things ended badly. I could agree with that.

"But why would she keep it from me? We're best friends." Lissa looked upset.

"Yes, but it might have bothered you if she started spending more time with your brother than she did with you. And that theory was proven right by how betrayed you felt when she went to Russia for Dimitri. Then there was the fact that your father just didn't want it to affect Rose's relationship with you." Oksana said. "I can't believe I am counseling teenage drama."

I was still shaking and mumbling random things. Oksana pulled out a ring that looked similar to the one she'd given me in Russia. That was her healing charm. I immediately stopped mumbling, but my wayward feelings didn't go away.

"L-L-Liss..." I stuttered.

"She'll need something stronger." Oksana sighed. "Does anyone have a silver necklace?"

People shook their heads no.

"L-L-Liss... heal the darkness..." I mumbled.

"What?" Lissa looked confused.

"Good idea, Rose." Oksana said. "When we were in Russia, I told Rose about how Mark pulls the Spirit darkness out of me, then I heal it out of him."

"Really?" Lissa looked astonished.

"It can be a bit difficult to an untrained person, but I believe you could do it. You've displayed immense power, and it's no different than healing a sick person." Oksana said.

Lissa took one look at my shaking form and nodded her head. "I'll do it."

Oksana tried giving instructions, but Lissa just knelt in front of me and ignored her. I hugged Lissa tightly, needing to be close to her. Then I felt a surge of Spirit magic go through me. It started where Lissa was touching my back and spread through everywhere our hug caused her to touch me until it finally just engulfed my entire body. My unusual breathing slowed to a normal pace and I felt a lot better.

"I love you, Lissa." I said.

"I love you too, Rose." Lissa sighed.

I pulled away from the hug and looked at Oksana. "How... how was I able to see Lissa's family? They've been dead way longer than the forty days that priest mentioned."

"You _were_ seeing them, but then again you weren't. By now they've crossed completely into the land of the dead, but there are trace elements of their presence that never leave. It's like when someone leaves you in real life and you feel like they're still there. You saw a memory of them and then it was mixed with your own guilt. Trust me, survivor's guilt is pointless." Oksana said.

"But why hasn't it happened before?" I asked.

"The wards to the Academy are still broken from what I've been told, which is why you can see ghosts at all. And as for the strange memory... I think becoming Strigoi brought you even closer to the line between life and death than you were before. You're closer to it." Oksana said. "It's probably nothing to be afraid of, but that's what I'm guessing."

"Can our lives get any weirder?" I groaned.

"I don't know, but it's going to get more awkward while you tell me about your relationship with Andre." Lissa smirked.

"Shit." I sighed.

Dimitri knelt next to me and gave me a hug. "I love you, Roza."

"I love you too, Comrade." I sighed into his chest.


	17. Acceptance

**Chapter 17: Acceptance**

**Rose's POV**

After the incident with the ghosts, Dimitri didn't want to leave me alone. Literally. He tried following me to classes.

"Seriously Comrade, you can't come with me. You're not a teacher anymore, and the teachers aren't going to like you in there either way." I insisted.

"I'm not leaving you, Roza." Dimitri said.

I clasped my hands together. "You don't have to. I'll leave you. Just give me a head start and-"

"Roza, I'm not leaving you." Dimitri grabbed my hands.

I looked up into his eyes and smiled. "Dimitri, what you're saying is sweet, but... you're not leaving me. You're letting me go to class alone. I'll be okay. I always am. Just go back to the cabin."

"Please Roza, just one class." Dimitri pleaded, giving me his warmest smile.

It made me melt and give in. "One class. Then you go home."

"Then I go home." Dimitri agreed.

My next class was another class with Alberta. Lissa got to go with me because Moroi got to observe this class so they could get an idea of the guardian they wanted.

"You melt when he smiles at you. It's so adorable." Lissa teased in a whisper.

"Shut up." I nudged her playfully.

As we made our way to the field where my class was, I noticed my classmates not only staring at me, but also Dimitri. Especially Dimitri. Alberta ignored all that and gathered me into a hug.

"Hi, Alberta." I said.

"I'm so glad you're back, Rose. I forced myself not to hug you in the other class, but I can't take it anymore." Alberta said.

"Aw, I knew you loved me." I teased.

"I do." Alberta said.

I looked up—only slightly—at her and smiled. "I love you, too."

"Don't tell them, but you're my favorite." Alberta smiled.

"I bet you tell everyone that." I scoffed.

"No, just you." Alberta grinned. "Everybody pair up! This is an exhibition!"

Eddie was picked off immediately this time, and there were an uneven number of students. I had no partner.

"Well, it would be unfair of me to pair up with you..." Alberta pretended to ponder. "Ah, Dimitri! Would you mind partnering up with Rose? After all, she is at a higher level than any of these students will hope to accomplish. Except maybe Eddie."

The other Dhampirs' jaws dropped at her words, but this was actually characteristic of Alberta. She'd put one person over the rest of the class so that we'd strive to be at that person's level. It was a great example of tough love. Although, she might not have been lying this time. I'd experienced things they'd probably never experience.

Dimitri grinned. "Of course, Guardian Petrova."

"Just call me Alberta. We're not on professional terms anymore." Alberta smirked.

"Yes, Alberta." Dimitri smiled.

"Don't hold back. You know I can take it." I got into a fighting stance.

"I know. Besides, when have I ever held back?" Dimitri teased.

"When you first met me." I scoffed.

"True, but I didn't know you. Now I do." Dimitri smirked as he got into a fighting stance.

"Go!" Alberta shouted.

Everyone else just jumped in. Dimitri and I studied each other, looking for a safe opening. Dimitri apparently thought he found one, because he lunged at me first. I dodged to the side and tried to knock him over with the force of my weight. I never did weigh much, so I failed. I took his recovery time as a chance to recover myself and jump on his back.

"Oof!" Dimitri wasn't expecting that. "What are you doing?"

"You know, I always wondered what it would be like for you to give me a piggyback ride." I teased.

"Roza!" Dimitri tried to buck me off like a bull.

I refused to let go and held on tightly. "Ha! I stayed on the bull for more than eight seconds!"

Dimitri laughed at my banter before making himself fall backwards. His weight was considerable, especially with the force that cane from falling. I winced and tried to kick him off me. I failed hopelessly and he flipped himself over so he was on top of me.

"Still think you can beat me?" Dimitri teased.

"I have no doubt." I kissed him.

Dimitri was distracted by my kiss and I punched the side of his head. He fell over on the ground and I flipped us over.

"Pinned ya." I stuck my tongue out at him. "Never underestimate your opponent."

Dimitri grinned and pushed me off him. "Exactly."

I hadn't been expecting the push, but I recovered pretty quickly and jumped to my feet. I barely dodged the punch Dimitri was going to throw at me. I used the fact that he was off balance to my advantage and punched him in the stomach. He winced and fell over.

"Gotcha." I laughed.

Dimitri grabbed my leg and pulled me down with him. "Got you."

I grinned and forced his hands away as I got back up and waited for him. He got up and we tried landing blows on each other. It didn't really work since we were in sync enough to dodge each other. I finally kicked him in the groin and he sank to the ground.

"Life goal accomplished. I brought a man to his knees." I giggled.

Dimitri swallowed his pain and got back up. "Keep going."

He was really good at concealing his pain as we continued fighting. He knocked me over and I feigned pain.

"Ouch." I whimpered and faked tears.

Dimitri's face paled and he immediately stopped fighting me. "Roza, I'm so sorry..."

I kicked his legs out from under him and got on top of him. "Don't hesitate."

His eyes got a pained look and I frowned as I realized the gravity of my words. He'd said them to me as a Strigoi.

"I'm sorry Dimitri... I shouldn't have said that..." I started to feel guilty.

"It's okay, Roza." Dimitri put a hand on my cheek. "You're right. You shouldn't hesitate."

I was ready to kiss him, but then I heard the sound of clapping. It was coming from Alberta.

"That was a great fight. And you outlasted the rest of your class." Alberta said.

I saw the rest of my class, barely bruised, but showing signs of having fought—a while ago. "How long did the fight last?"

"Maybe half an hour." Alberta smiled. "And going that long against someone like Dimitri is impressive."

I got up and helped Dimitri up too. But then I was knocked down again. "Gah!"

"Rose!" A familiar voice squealed.

I froze in place. "Viktoria?"

Sure enough, when she let me flip over it was Viktoria sitting on top of me.

"I missed you so much!" Viktoria pulled me into a suffocating hug.

"Need... air..." I wheezed.

"Right, sorry." Viktoria released me—only to help me up and give me a slightly less suffocating hug. "Rose!"

"What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in Russia? At St. Basil's?" I asked.

"We let her come with us." Another familiar voice said.

"Mother!" Dimitri leapt up and hugged Olena tightly.

As I became more observant, I realized that the whole Belikov family was standing behind Viktoria.

"Roza." Yeva greeted.

"Crazy Russian witch who is unfortunately related to Dimitri." I sighed.

Yeva grinned like I'd just given her a compliment. "Ah, your sarcasm."

"God, all we need to complete this picture is Nikolai and the Strigoi hunters." I said.

"No, Nikolai is still at St. Basil's. And Denis is convinced you're dead." Viktoria said. "He said you disappeared in Novosibirsk and he's pretty sure a Strigoi killed you."

"Not exactly, but he's on the right track." I mumbled.

"So you're the Belikovs Dimitri has talked so much about." Alberta shook Olena's hand.

"This is Dimitri's family?" Lissa slid next to me.

"Yep. They're great. And they'd be even better if the youngest sister would release me to breathe." I hinted.

"Sorry, we just miss you. Plus, the whole town misses your stories of Dimka." Viktoria finally released me.

"I didn't think you would miss me." I said.

"You were right about Rolan. He admitted everything." Viktoria sighed. "Plus, you're note made me sad."

"What is it with you and interfering in people's relationships?" Lissa rolled her eyes.

"Am I ever wrong? And Christian doesn't count." I said.

"Ouch." Christian feigned being hurt.

"Christian!" Lissa exclaimed and gave him a hug.

"We heard you were a Strigoi but then you were turned back with Spirit magic." Sonja said.

"Mark and Oksana called us." Karolina shrugged.

Dimitri frowned and sighed. "I was a Strigoi... but Roza saved me."

Olena gave me a hug almost as suffocating as Viktoria's. "Thank you, Rose."

"Lissa saved me first." I said modestly.

"Yes, Mark and Oksana mentioned that." Olena said. "But that doesn't make you less heroic to us."

"Ouch!" I exclaimed. "What just poked me?"

Yeva grinned and chuckled. "I need a sample of your blood. For experimental purposes."

I saw the syringe full of blood in her hand. "You're sick and twisted."

"And you're a great pack mule. Your point?" Yeva smirked.

"I hate you." I said.

"I love you, too." Yeva chuckled.

"Hello, Grandmother." Dimitri bent to give her a hug.

"Dimka." Yeva hugged him back. "I knew she'd save your soul."

"You thought I was going to save his soul by staking him!" I exclaimed in exasperation.

"No, I just said you'd save him." Yeva winked. "I didn't say how."

I started cursing at her in Russian, earning me an amused look from her.

"Since when do you speak Russian?" Lissa asked.

"Just the swear words and the basics." I shrugged. "You don't seriously think I went to Russia and spoke English the whole time, do you?"

"No, but you did speak a lot of English." Abe strutted up to me.

"Old man." I greeted.

"Rose." Abe grinned.

"Zmey." I teased.

"Zmeyette." Abe cocked his head.

"Damn, you're good at this game." I said.

"Well, I am just an older version of you." Abe smirked.

"Which reminds me, thank you for funding the Academy, breaking me out of the dungeon, helping us with Victor, and just overall helping." I sighed. "And I don't say thank you lightly, so hold onto this memory."

"Will do." Abe grinned.

"Alberta, do you have a flashlight?" I asked.

Alberta handed one over. "Why?"

I handed it to Abe. "Turn it on, aim at your face, and say _Rose, I am your father._"

"Really?" Abe scoffed.

"Indulge me." I smirked.

Abe sighed and pointed the flashlight at his face. "Rose, I am your father."

"Thank you." I took the flashlight back and handed it to Alberta. Then I hugged Abe. "Visit me on occasion, Zmey."

"I will." Abe promised. "And I need to talk to you about something."

"Please tell me I don't seriously owe you for getting me help." I said.

"Of course not." Abe pulled me off where the other Dhampirs wouldn't be able to hear us. "How would you feel if I said your mother was becoming my guardian?"

"I'd ask if this is your indirect way of getting back together." I smirked.

"I'd say it is. Hypothetically." Abe smiled.

"Hypothetically. Right." I wiggled my eyebrows.

"She won't just date me. She has to have an excuse to be around me." Abe said.

"Sounds like Mom." I said. "She does that to me too."

"Well, I just thought I'd get your opinion." Abe said.

"Speaking of Mom, why hasn't she come to visit me yet?" I asked.

"Because she had to go all the way to Court to officially drop Lord Szelsky and switch to me. She'll be back though." Abe said.

"I know she will." I grinned. "Good luck with Mom."

"Thank you, Rose." Abe said.

"I love you, Dad." I gave him a hug.

"I love you, too." Abe sighed.

As he took off somewhere, I walked back over to Lissa and my friends.

"What's with the goofy grin?" Lissa asked.

"In the oddest miracle to ever occur in the universe, my parents are going to date again." I laughed. "But because Mom thinks she needs an excuse to be around him, she's going to be Abe's guardian."

"Well, Abe did seem to still care about her when we were away from the Academy." Lissa pondered. "Are all of your family's relationships complicated?"

"Well, there's me and Dimitri, Mom and Abe—and if you count Dimitri's family—all of the Belikovs have complicated relationships. So yeah, pretty much." I said.

"You are by far the oddest student I've ever had. It's like you're bipolar. You're reckless, but you have a sense of responsibility, you're fun, but serious, and you're immature and mature at the same time! What are we going to do with you, Rose Hathaway?" Alberta shook her head with amusement.

"Train me." I scoffed. "I might be better than some of the other students, but there's always room for improvement."

Alberta grinned and turned to address the class. "This is what we want out of you. We want you to enjoy your job, but also take it seriously. We want you to be able to fight, but not mindlessly. We want you to be at or above Rose Hathaway's level."

Some Dhampirs stared at me with disgust or jealousy, while others like Eddie grinned at me with wonder. I was a role model. By God, when did that happen?


	18. Atonement

**Chapter 18: Atonement**

**Rose's POV**

After school, I found out how wrong I was. About my energy level. I crashed and burned after school was out.

"Maybe you shouldn't stay awake for twenty four hours." Dimitri yawned.

We'd just gotten back to the cabin.

"No... you shouldn't." I flopped on the bed.

Dimitri slid next to me and wrapped his arms around me. "Sleep, Roza..."

I heard the sounds of Dimitri snoring. I'd never noticed he snored before now. I smiled to myself and let my world fade to black.

**Lissa's POV**

I was woken up early the next vampiric day by the sounds of knocking. I opened the door to find Dimitri.

"Dimitri? What are you doing here?" I asked with a yawn.

"I woke up this morning and couldn't find Roza." Dimitri said.

I smiled at how cute I thought it was for Dimitri to call her Roza. Then I frowned. "This is early. Rose tries to sleep in on Saturdays."

"That's what worries me." Dimitri frowned. "I was hoping she just came to see you."

"I haven't seen Rose since she left with you yesterday." I shook my head.

I tried seeing if the bond was still going both ways. It was, but... I couldn't see anything. Rose was awake, but her eyes were closed. The only hint at where she was that I got was a familiar feeling. It was light and positive. It was the feeling I got while praying.

"Dimitri." I stopped his frantic pacing. "Have you checked the church?"

"No." Dimitri admitted. "Roza only went there when she started seeing ghosts and when it had anything to do with you."

I started walking to the church and Dimitri followed me. When I got there, I found what I was expecting. Rose was sitting in the front row of pews with her head down. Father Andrew came up to us with a big smile.

"Have you been influencing Rose?" He asked.

"Not anymore than usual." I said.

"Well whatever's going on, I hope it continues. She came in at sundown and started praying. When I asked if she needed any help, she said she just wanted to be alone with God." Father Andrew beamed.

"We are talking about the same Rose Hathaway, right?" Dimitri scoffed.

"I don't know what's going on." Father Andrew chuckled, starting to walk away. "Even I don't question the miracles of God."

I shook the confusion out of my head and moved through the pews. Dimitri lingered behind, probably wanting to see what Rose and I would say to each other. I slid in the pew next to Rose.

"Rose?" I put a hand on her shoulder.

She flinched slightly and put her head up. There were tears in her eyes.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

Rose brought me into a hug. "You were right."

"About what?" I asked.

"There is a God." Rose said.

"Is that what this is about? You finally believe He's real?" I laughed slightly.

There was no humor in Rose's expression. She was being serious and sincere. "I may have had a lot of shit happen in my life—bad shit—but a lot of good things have happened too. You and Dimitri are the best examples."

I sobered up a little. "What made you suddenly come here?"

Rose didn't hesitate in answering. "I prayed to God a lot when I was looking for Dimitri and during the weeks when I was trapped in the hotel full of Strigoi. I promised God I'd cone to church more if he saved me. I even joked about giving Adrian's money to the poor and becoming a nun. I made sure He knew I was joking on that last one, but I was serious about the first one. And I'm here now, aren't I? Alive, too."

I teared up a little at Rose's words. "So you don't think it's just luck and coincidence anymore?"

"Luck and coincidence don't do things like this. Your Spirit magic saved me twice. Once from a car accident, then from eternal damnation. God sent you to me. God sent Dimitri too." Rose sniffled.

I hugged Rose tightly. "Are you sure you're not the one sent from God? You've saved a lot of people too."

"Everything happens for a reason." Rose shrugged. "I love you."

"I love you, too." I laughed. "You know, you've said that a lot over the last few days."

"And I'll make sure I say it everyday for the rest of my life." Rose promised.

I smiled and patted her back. "Do you want to keep praying? Or do you want to reexplain this to Dimitri? He's worried about you. Being up early on a Saturday is unusual for you."

"Yeah, I guess it is." Rose wiped her eyes.

"Why did you come today, anyway? It's Saturday, not Sunday." I got up to leave with Rose.

"I was told I could pray any time." Rose smirked.

"You can." I smiled.

**Rose's POV**

I woke up on Sunday morning to find Dimitri praying the same way I had the day before. Except he was on his knees by the bed and I'd gone to church. And I was going to church again today.

I got up and changed into a church appropriate dress. Dimitri had gotten up from his prayer and was watching me change.

"If you're going to watch the show, can you at least pay me by zipping the back of the dress for me?" I teased.

Dimitri grinned and got up to zip the back of my dress. Then he hugged me and stared into the full length mirror in front of us. Kirova had sent pretty much everything that had once been in my dorm room. The mirror was one of them.

"Put on a suit, Comrade." I said.

"You really do want to go to church, don't you?" Dimitri chuckled.

"I go for Lissa anyway. I just have another good reason now." I smiled. "Now, put on a suit."

Dimitri grinned and put on a suit. Suits suited him well.

We walked to church and I found Lissa and Christian sitting in the front row of pews.

"Hey, Liss." I slid next to Lissa. "Sparky."

"Smart ass." Christian greeted.

Dimitri sat next to me. "Lissa. Christian."

"Dimitri." Lissa smiled.

"Belikov." Christian greeted.

I looked up to see Adrian and Sydney hiding on the second floor's balcony. I started giggling and my friends stared at me in confusion.

"What's so funny?" Lissa asked.

I pointed at Adrian and Sydney.

"Do you think I can press him for details now? I'll say I saw him on the balcony and you had nothing to do with it." Lissa smirked.

"Go for it." I shrugged.

We quieted down as Father Andrew started his sermon. Instead of trying to talk to Lissa, I actually listened. I laid my head on Lissa's shoulder and held Dimitri's hand. I think Christian was secretly happy to have me back because he kept giving me sidelong glances and grinning. Then something weird happened. The projector screen for biblical movies started to drop down and the lights went out.

"What's going on?" Father Andrew asked.

The screen lit up with a video. The video was of the gates to the Academy. It had been taken on the day I left for Russia, when I was trying to explain to Lissa why I was leaving. It must have been from a security camera.

_"No, I can just read you. Finally. I can't believe how blind I was. I can't believe I never noticed. Victor's comment...he was right." Lissa glanced off at the sunset, then turned her gaze back on me. A flash of anger, both in her feelings and her eyes, hit me. "Why didn't you tell me?" She cried. "Why didn't you tell me you loved Dimitri?"_

_Our argument ensued on tape until I finally said, "It's not about you, okay? This time, it's about me. Not you. All my life, Lissa... all my life, it's been the same. They come first. I've lived my life for you. I've trained to be your shadow, but you know what? I want to come first. I need to take care of myself for once. I'm tired of looking out for everyone else and having to put aside what I want. Dimitri and I did that, and look what happened. He's gone. I will never hold him again. Now I owe it to him to do this. I'm sorry if it hurts you, but it's my choice!"_

Lissa and I flinched as we watched. Then the tape flashed to the day I came back to the Academy. It showed my brief conversation with the guardian at the gate. Then it showed me driving into the parking lot. I got out and was hugged by Lissa. We watched up until the part when I pulled the sunglasses off and screamed, _"Dimitri!"_

Then it showed me dragging my friend's back to Kirova's office and my confrontation with Mr. Lazar. It even showed my entire conversation about torturing my friends and how they took Dimitri and I down.

"Who the hell is doing this?" Dimitri looked around.

The video showed everything from me biting Lissa to my submissive nature in the Academy's dungeon.

_"You're a failure as a Strigoi. I shouldn't have wasted an awakening on you." Dimitri growled._

_I whimpered and looked away._

_"If you leave me here, I will not waste another moment with you. I will kill you, take away your immortality. Or even worse, I'll let Nathan and Galina punish you—which is equivalent to throwing you to the wolves. The only way you can avoid death and torture is if you stay with me." Dimitri said coldly._

_I started to cry and knelt in front of him. "I've never wanted to leave you. I always went back to help you in fights. I didn't want to leave you in those caves during the Strigoi attack... but my mother wouldn't let me go back. I followed you around the world to Russia. I've never wanted to abandon you..."_

_"Then don't!" He growled._

_"I just don't understand how she can be so submissive to him when she's independent with everyone else..." Christian muttered._

_"Because even as her instructor, he treated her like a child. She grew accustomed to it and knew she should do what he told her. It's common among guardians, especially if they have a personal trainer..." Eddie explained._

_"No." Lissa said. "That might contribute to it, but that's not all. She's submissive to him because he knows how to put her in her place. Because she looks up to him for strength. Because she loves him. Love changes you, cuts you deep. Especially if it's true love..."_

_"Rose." Abe said sternly._

_I turned my head to face him._

_"Come with us. Dimitri will be the man you fell in love with again if we can pull this off. You'll even go back to being the wonderful person you've always been. You'll have your father's mischievous tendencies and your mother's sense of duty—just like before. Come with us." Abe requested._

_"I'll go with you." I said, standing up._

_"Roza, please..." Dimitri sounded wounded._

_"I'm going to fix you." I promised._

_"Roza!" Dimitri viciously pulled at his chains._

_I ignored everything he said as I turned and walked out of the dungeon slowly._

Then it showed us getting into Abe's van, Mom and Abe's banter, and us driving through the Academy's front gates.

"Who's doing this?" I shouted to be heard over the loud mumble of conversation.

The next part of the video cut to the news report about us breaking Victor out of Tarasov. Then there was another news report about when I made Christian set the van on fire. Then it showed the Queen's jet landing on the Academy's airstrip and me running out of it, my friends trailing behind me. We even saw footage of what happened in the auditorium.

_The Queen cleared her throat. "I know how shocking this situation may be to you—and that you've probably heard many rumors—but this is reality. Guardian Dimitri Belikov was turned Strigoi in the original attack on your school. He fled to Siberia with other Strigoi, but Rose Hathaway couldn't leave it at that. Because he was her friend and mentor, she went to Siberia to stake him and was turned herself. And then they aided the other Strigoi in attacking your school again. Rose Hathaway has escaped and is off somewhere with Edison Castille, Vasilissa Dragomir, and her parents. I don't know of what has or will become of them, but it likely won't be good. And since Dimitri Belikov hasn't escaped, he will be killed now."_

_"Roza will come for me. She always does. And it's not because I'm her instructor. It's because she's in love with me." Dimitri chuckled. "You blind fools. It should have been obvious, especially after she came looking for me in Russia. And if it pleases you to know, she did put up a good fight, but she was no match for me in the end."_

_Just before the guardian could kill Dimitri, I came out screaming, "No!"_

_"Please, Queen Tatiana. Don't kill him. Just look at me and you'll know you can trust me. I'm not a Strigoi." I said._

_"How do I know you're not trying to compel me?" The Queen looked down._

_Guardians were rushing towards the stage._

_"Because you know me! You may be scolding me almost every time you see me, but you know me! You even know me well enough that you knew who my father was before I did! Sure, he's usually blackmailing you, but that's not the point. Look at me!" I begged. "If I wanted to kill you, I would've already done it and dragged Dimitri through an escape! I'm just a Dhampir begging for another Dhampir's life! We can save his soul! We can turn him back, just like me! Please!"_

Then we watched as the Queen gave the order to put me down, heard me out, and let us prove our story. We also watched as Lissa was bucked off of Dimitri, I scrambled for the stake, and he held me up by the neck, choking me.

_"I definitely wasted the awakening on you, petulant girl." Dimitri growled._

_"Funny, you've never used the word petulant on me before." I wheezed out._

_"You will die, now." Dimitri moved to slash my throat._

_"I'm sorry about this." I choked out. "I love you."_

We watched as I shoved the stake into Dimitri's heart and the bright light flashed. Then I was on the floor, murmuring assurances to Dimitri, who was cradled in my lap.

The video finally cut off and a set of familiar faces was tossed on the floor from the direction of the projection room. Jesse and Ralf. Mom followed them out angrily.

"How dare you two?!" Mom exclaimed.

"Why can't you two just leave me in peace? I've never done anything to you—except when revenge was involved. You bully Lissa and I on a regular basis, you threatened Lissa's safety by doing what happened in the woods, and you've been torturing me over the last few days. Lissa and I have even tried to kill you, and you didn't take that as a sign that you should stop." I shook my head. "You two are pathetic."

"At least I don't sleep with teachers!" Jesse exclaimed.

"That's just because they all say no! Remember when you tried sleeping with Crazy Karp? You ended up hogtied on her desk and she came to my room for help instead of going to Kirova. And I covered for you because I found you attractive." I scoffed. "Besides, Dimitri and I aren't exactly normal people."

"You think that justifies sleeping with a minor?" Ralf scoffed.

"Do you see a minor? I'm eighteen years old. I'm no longer a physical child—although I may act like a mental one. Dimitri has been fired—which is protocol in these situations—and my parents and I aren't pressing charges for statutory rape. I'm within legal bounds." I pointed out. "I'm not saying every girl should fall in love with their instructor during the teenage years, but my case is closed and it's none of your God damned business."

"Swearing in a church." Jesse shook his head. "Isn't hypocrisy a sin?"

"It takes one to know one." I pointed out. "And I can repent of my sins and better myself. You could too, but you're too much of a stubborn ass creep."

"Go to hell, Rose." Ralf said.

"Only if I can drag you down with me." I countered.

"Get out of my church." Father Andrew said.

I turned to look at him, but he wasn't talking to me. He was talking to Jesse and Ralf.

"What?!" Jesse exclaimed.

Ralf started to protest. "But she-"

"Rose has become a prime example of conversion. She even came in yesterday to pray and as far as I can tell, she actually believes in God now. She even paid attention to me today instead of slacking off or trying to talk to Vasilissa. But you two are hindering her progress. No righteous children of God would do that. Now get out and don't cone back until you can repent." Father Andrew pointed to the door.

Jesse and Ralf were dragged out of the chapel by a set of guardians.

"I like you more and more everyday, Father Andrew." I grinned.

"Just keep your promise about repenting and I'll continue to defend you." He smirked. "Now, I think we should all dismiss. My sermon was about over anyway."

Everyone started pouring out of the chapel.

"Thanks, Mom." I hugged her. "I'm glad you came to see me."

"I wouldn't leave without making sure you're okay." Mom said.

"Personally, I think the sooner you take off with Abe the better." I smirked.

Mom pulled back and stared at me. "Are you really excited for me to be close to Abe again?"

"It wouldn't be the end of the world. Besides, maybe you can make me a sibling." I nudged her playfully.

"I think one of you is enough. We don't need any more troublemaking Hathaways." Mom snorted.

"But this one would be a Mazur." I teased.

Mom blushed and laughed. "Seriously, I don't need more children."

"Just think about it." I wiggled my eyebrows.

Mom was about to make a witty comeback, but Jill came running up to us.

"Hey, Jailbait!" I hugged her.

"You... you like me?" Jill asked.

"You're nice, you looked out for Lissa while I was gone, and I've always wanted a biggest fan." I laughed. "How could I not like you?"

Jill smiled in a way that seemed familiar. In fact... it reminded me a lot of Lissa's smile when she showed her fangs. And now that I thought about it... Jill had a set of jade green eyes. I looked back and forth between Jill and Lissa, trying to disprove the resemblance. But... I only proved it further.

"Rose, are you okay?" Lissa asked.

"Liss... have you ever noticed how much Jill looks like you?" I asked.

"What?" Lissa sounded startled.

"Now that I think about it, she does look a lot like you..." Christian scrutinized Jill.

"Huh?" Poor Jill looked confused.

"The biggest difference is the hair color." Dimitri agreed. "Jill, who are your parents?"

"My mom is Emily Mastrano. My stepdad is John Mastrano." Jill said.

"You have a stepfather?" I asked.

"Yeah, my mom won't tell me who my real dad is." Jill shrugged.

I looked back and forth between Jill and Lissa again. "Liss, are you sure your family was the last of the Dragomirs?"

"Come on, Rose. She could be a Dashkov or an Ivashkov for all we know." Lissa rolled her eyes.

"No. These eyes are the sane green as yours. Even Adrian and Victor don't have eyes this particular shade of green." I insisted.

"Are you suggesting I have a long lost sister?" Lissa scoffed.

"I wouldn't go that far, but you definitely have a long lost relative somewhere making illegitimate Dragomir babies." I said.

"Are you sure? Because I'm pretty sure I'm not royalty." Jill said.

"Anyone could be royalty. I thought I might be an illegitimate royal until I found out Abe was my dad." I pointed out.

"We can play with your conspiracy theories later. Let's get brunch for now." Lissa sighed and started dragging me off.

"But I swear, Jill looks just like you!" I protested.


	19. Research

**Chapter 19: Research**

**Rose's POV**

On Monday morning, I didn't have to go to school. I was being flown on a private jet to Court. One of the Queen's private jets. But I wanted something first. Or should I say, someone.

I knocked on the door to Jill's dorm room.

"Rose?" Jill looked like she was getting ready to leave for school.

"How would you like a get out of school free pass?" I asked.

"Where would we be going?" Jill questioned.

"Court. Dimitri, Lissa, and I have been invited for research purposes. Christian, Eddie, Adrian, you, and a secret guest are tag-alongs." I said.

"A secret guest?" Jill asked.

"I can't tell you who she is until we're on the plane." I said.

Jill smiled mischievously. "I'll go. But will I get in trouble?"

"I haven't officially asked the Queen or Kirova, but if they get mad, I'll tell them it's my fault. It technically will be, and they'd believe it either way." I shrugged.

"Can I go too?" Jill's roommate asked.

"I don't really know you. And I'll be in enough trouble for taking Jill out of school." I said. "Besides, I have a legitimate reason for bringing her."

Jill's roommate sighed and walked out to get to class. Jill packed a few things and followed me to the private jet.

"So, what reason do you have for bringing me to Court?" Jill asked.

"Besides the fact that we all like you? I'm sincerely curious about your parentage, and we're doing blood tests on ourselves anyway, so why not try to figure out who your dad is?" I shrugged.

"Do you really believe I'm a Dragomir?" Jill asked.

"The only other living person I know of that has your eyes is Lissa." I confirmed.

Jill and I boarded the plane in silence.

"Why did you bring Jill?" Christian asked.

"I like Jill. Don't you?" I countered.

"I don't think there's a good answer to that question. Lissa already thought I was attracted to Jill." Christian pointed out.

Lissa elbowed him and glared at me. "Rose, Jill isn't related to me. A lot of royal families look alike."

"I brought her because I like her. Her parentage is just a bonus." I rolled my eyes.

"So, who's the secret guest you mentioned?" Jill changed the subject.

"Where are Adrian and Sydney?" I asked.

"Making out in the room back there." Lissa smirked.

"Who's Sydney?" Jill asked.

"An Alchemist. And Alchemists have strict rules about being with Moroi, so you can't tell anyone about Sydney and Adrian." I said.

"I promise I won't tell anyone." Jill said.

We ended up riding the plane in relative silence. I noticed something though. Jill sat next to Eddie and talked to him for most of the plane ride. Eddie smiled and laughed at everything she said. It was the most relaxed I'd seen him since Mason died. Maybe I'd get to play matchmaker again.

When the plane landed, the Queen met us herself. She grinned uncharacteristically at Adrian and then frowned at Sydney.

"Why did you bring an Alchemist?" She asked.

"Can you pretend she's not here if anyone asks? And let her stay?" Adrian asked.

Sydney looked nervous. I wasn't sure if she was in love with Adrian yet, but I could tell she wanted to find out.

"Adrian, what's this about?" Tatiana asked.

"I care about Sydney. But as we both know, her people wouldn't be happy with that." Adrian said.

"Why does every love you have have to be a taboo?" Tatiana sighed. "I'll protect her as far as I can, but I can't promise anything if the Alchemists find out she's here."

"Thank you, Aunt Tatiana." Adrian hugged her.

"Please tell me one of you isn't in love with the other girl." Tatiana looked at Jill.

Eddie blushed a little. "No, Rose just brought her along as a friend. And because she wants to do a side experiment."

"A side experiment?" Tatiana looked at me funny. "And why are Christian and the guardian here?"

"It's nothing bad. And Eddie's my most trusted friend—besides Lissa. And I think we both know by now that Christian and Lissa are a package deal." I said.

Tatiana sighed, knowing I was up to something. "Just make sure you do your required research."

We followed her to a small lab. There was a guardian waiting there among the Moroi scientists.

"I'm Mikhail Tanner." The guardian introduced himself.

"Ms. Karp's boyfriend." I said.

Mikhail smiled bitterly. "That's one way of putting it. The Queen said you had something important for me?"

"Is Robert Doru here?" I turned to Tatiana.

"We brought him here after the... incident last week. I think he's... over there." Tatiana pointed to him.

"Robert?" I went up to him.

He was babbling a little, but he turned to look at me. "The Shadow Kissed Strigoi girl."

I felt a little uncomfortable. "Good, you remember me." I handed him my stake. "Charm this. Please."

Robert took the stake and recharmed it. I took it back and handed it to Mikhail. "When you find Sonya, stake her with this. It will save her from being a Strigoi—she'll be a Moroi again."

Mikhail held it like a precious artifact.

"No, the Spirit user has to do it." Robert said.

"But I saved Dimitri." I said.

"That's because you're special. Not only are you Shadow Kissed, but you were basking in the magical afterglow of being saved." Robert said.

I sighed. "So you, Adrian, or Lissa has to do it?"

"Or Oksana." Lissa said.

"She went back to Russia with Dimitri's family." I said.

"Would you help me, Rose?" Mikhail was looking at me like I was his last hope.

"I'd do anything to help you. You're in the same situation I was just in." I put a hand on his shoulder.

"I've heard." Mikhail smiled. "Thank you."

"Hey, scientists." I turned to some of the Moroi and grabbed Jill. "Can we test this girl's blood against the Dragomir family's blood?"

"Rose-" There was a warning tone in Lissa's voice.

"Indulge me." I told her.

One of the Moroi scientists took a sample of blood from Jill and another sample of blood from Lissa. Then they started their Spirit research, taking our blood samples, asking us questions, having Adrian view our Auras while they showed us pictures. I wasn't sure if I was a lab rat or a scientist.

"Do you feel as thoroughly poked and prodded as I do?" I asked Dimitri.

"I feel like I'm an alien being probed for information." Dimitri said.

"Aliens are usually the ones that do the probing." I pointed out.

"I know. That's why this is so strange." Dimitri said.

I smirked. "At least there hasn't been any anal probing."

"You never know with these Moroi scientists. That might be next." Adrian teased.

I hit him playfully and Sydney tried to hide her smirk.

"You know, you can smirk. You don't have to hide your emotions from us." I said.

Sydney sighed. "I'm just not used to all of this."

"It takes a while. I've had my whole life to do it." I said. "And out of curiosity, where do the other Alchemists think you are?"

"They don't know. They tried calling my phone multiple times before I finally got rid of it. And Adrian said they called your Headmistress asking where I was. She told them I'd already left. So if they find my phone and hear stories about the Strigoi attack on your Academy, they might think I'm dead." Sydney said nervously.

"Do you want them to think you're dead? Do you want to stay here?" I asked.

Sydney frowned. "I... I don't know. But if they think I'm dead, they'll replace me with my little sister. I'd rather not have her become an Alchemist."

"Why would it be bad for her to become an Alchemist?" I wasn't sure if I was prying or not.

"Some Alchemist work is honorable... but I've recently started thinking they might be wrong about a few things. Important things. And I don't think it would be best to leave my sister with my father. He worries more about being a good Alchemist than he does about being a good father." Sydney admitted.

"Is there anything we can do?" Adrian asked.

"The only way for me to save her is if I go back. But I don't know if I want to." Sydney said.

Adrian put an arm around her. "I'm sorry, Sydney."

I felt bad for them. They couldn't have a happy ending without leaving behind victims to their happy ending.

"Miss Hathaway?" One of the Moroi scientists looked paler than usual.

"Yes?" I answered.

"Remember the blood tests you had us run on the girl?" The scientist pointed to Jill, who was talking excitedly to Eddie.

"Yeah. What were the results?" I asked.

"We ran the tests multiple times and... that girl is a Dragomir. Specifically, she's Vasilissa's sister." The scientist informed me.

My eyes widened. "So... Eric Dragomir has an illegitimate love child?"

"It appears so." The scientist said. "Do you want to tell Vasilissa and the girl, or should I?"

I knew Lissa might be upset at the news, but I couldn't keep her in the dark. She still had a biological family member left, and it was a sister. "I'll tell her, but she'll want you to confirm it."

We walked up to Lissa and Jill and I stood there nervously.

"What's wrong, Rose?" Lissa asked.

Jill and Eddie stopped talking and looked at me.

"Remember when I had the Moroi scientists test to see if Jill was related to you...?" I just blurted the next part out. "Jill's your sister."

Lissa and Jill stared at me like I'd just said the sky was red.

"Rose, that's not possible." Lissa said.

Jill just stayed quiet, trying to absorb that information.

"But it's true. The scientist told me." I gestured to him. "Tell her."

"When we tested her blood against yours, it showed that you two are paternal siblings—you share the same father." The scientist confirmed.

Lissa looked panicked and she rushed out of the room. Jill looked at me with a weird mixture of confusion and understanding.

"Liss, wait!" I called after her.

I followed Lissa as she ran until she finally stopped in a little garden. She sat by a little pond and cried as she pulled her knees to her torso.

I sat next to her. "Look Liss, I know it's confusing and a bit much to take in all at once, but it's not the end of the world. You have the sister you always wanted, and you're not the last Dragomir anymore."

"_You're_ the sister I've always wanted!" Lissa exclaimed. "You know, back when I used to beg my parents to have a little sister... my father would tell me I already had a sister. I thought he meant you, but he was probably talking about Jill! How could he do that? How could he cheat on my mother...?"

As Lissa sobbed, I pulled her close to me. "Liss, I know that part sucks. I know that people cheating on each other is horrible. But he's still your dad. And now you have a biological sister, a real sister."

"_You're_ my real sister." Lissa insisted.

"Lissa, I play the part of a sister. But let's face it, neither of us have ever had a blood related sister. We'll always be best friends and blood sisters, but now you have Jill too. You can have two sisters. Don't ignore her because you think of her as your father's mistake. It's not her fault that she was created out of wedlock. Embrace her. I already like her, and if you'd stop your jealous tendencies with Christian, you would've liked her by now too." I said.

Lissa looked the most vulnerable I'd ever seen her. I think the only thing that trumped this was when she was cutting herself and when she thought Christian didn't like her anymore.

"You can't expect me to pretend none of this is awkward or strange. I'm not going to act like Jill's just some long lost sister who got sent off to boarding school for fourteen years." Lissa said.

"We don't expect you to. We just want you to try being close to her, and to acknowledge her as your sister. Try to make her feel welcome, because this is going to be just as hard on her as it is you." I said.

Lissa sniffled. "Do you want me to go back and talk to her?"

"You don't have to right now, but it would be nice." I shrugged.

Lissa started to get up, so I got up and helped her get up. We walked back to our friends and found Dimitri talking to Jill.

"What if she doesn't like me? She didn't seem fond of me before, and now that we're sisters..." Jill trailed off.

"Jill, Lissa is one of the kindest and most accepting people I know. Rose is the one that's normally hard to crack. So since Rose already likes you, it won't be long before Lissa does too." Dimitri assured her.

I thought it was adorable for Dimitri to talk to her and reassure her. Lissa got a guilty look on her face, knowing I was right about how hard this would be on Jill.

"Jill?" Lissa said.

Jill immediately looked up.

"I... um..." Lissa sighed. "Look, I know this is weird for both of us. I'd be willing to get to know you better if that's what you want. I'm just... confused."

Jill looked as nervous as Lissa felt. "I do want to get to know you better. I've always been an only child, and now I have a sibling."

"It's too bad Andre's not here. He'd probably handle this situation better than me." Lissa said.

"I think you're handling it pretty well. I've always thought you and Rose were pretty cool. We've been going to the same school, but I never officially met you guys until I met Rose and Dimitri before the Strigoi attack."

I smiled at Jill. "You're pretty cool too. I already liked you, but now that I know you're Lissa's sister... any sister of hers is a sister of mine."

Jill smiled brightly. Lissa gave a nervous smile back. It might take a while, but I had a feeling these two would get close.


	20. Murder

**Chapter 20: Murder**

**Rose's POV**

We'd stayed the night at Court. But I woke up the next morning to a crazy situation. A string of guardians burst into my room.

"Rose Hathaway, you're under arrest." A guardian said.

I blinked the sleep out of my eyes and pulled my blanket closer to me. "For what?"

"Murder of the Queen of the Moroi." The guardian said.

I sat up straight, holding the blanket close to me. "Tatiana's dead?"

"Get up and follow us." The guy said.

"I can't." I said.

"Why not?" He asked.

"Because I'm naked under this blanket, and I don't want random Moroi perverts staring at my nakedness." I said.

He turned red, but his face remained in a passive expression. "Get dressed and follow me."

"You don't seriously think Rose killed the Queen, do you? They aren't exactly best friends, but they are on a first name basis, and we're here on her hospitality." Dimitri pointed out.

"We have evidence." The guy said.

"What evidence?" I scoffed, finishing pulling my clothes on under the blanket.

"You'll see." The guy pulled me up out of bed.

No one blinked twice when Dimitri dressed in front of them, but then again they were all guys. I was dragged all the way to the courtroom before the guardian released his grip on me.

"Ouch." I rubbed my arm.

"Hans, grabbing her arm like that wasn't necessary." Dimitri frowned.

"She's the primary murder suspect!" Hans exclaimed.

I saw all of my friends sitting behind the area designated for a defendant. Abe was sitting in the area, dressed in a nice suit—which was depreciated by his trademark scarf. Mom sat next to him.

"Why am I the primary suspect in Tatiana's murder?" I asked.

"They say they've found some overwhelming evidence against you. Not to mention the fact that you two weren't on the best terms." Abe said.

"I'm here on her hospitality! And Dimitri wouldn't be alive if Tatiana hadn't heard me out! Why would I kill her?" I scoffed.

"Attention! This trial has begun!" Nathan Ivashkov announced.

One of the council members stood and spoke. "We are here to prove or disprove the idea that Rosemarie Janine Hathaway murdered Tatiana Marina Ivashkov."

"Wait, you have a middle name?" Lissa leaned towards me. "And it's your mother's first name?"

I groaned. "The one time someone actually uses it... and it has to be during a public court hearing."

"But you have a middle name?" Lissa was shocked.

"Yeah, and so do you, Vasilissa Sabina Rhea Dragomir." I rolled my eyes.

"How do you know both of them?" Lissa questioned.

"Lissa, I know everything about you down to your social security number. Guardians have to know that stuff, so your dad told me all of it so I could be prepared when I turned eighteen. Do you want me to repeat your entire social security number right now?" I sighed.

We turned our attention back to the trial just as a Tarus lawyer stood up. "The evidence that we have against Miss Hathaway is a silver stake we found plunged into Tatiana's heart—Miss Hathaway's silver stake, with her fingerprints all over it."

Everyone gasped in horror—probably because it was sick to think of a silver stake being used to kill a Moroi. I was among the gaspers.

"Other evidence includes threatening letters written to Tatiana from Miss Hathaway, the fact that she and the Queen weren't on good terms, and the fact that there is a witness who places Miss Hathaway at the scene of the crime." Mr. Tarus continued.

"Okay, that's all bullshit." I laughed.

Dimitri frowned. "Rose-"

"No, I'm serious. All the evidence is bullshit." I laughed harder.

"Rose, I'm supposed to be acting as your lawyer." Abe reminded me.

"If the council will permit it, I'd like to state my own case." I stood up.

The council whispered among themselves.

"You can't seriously be considering this! I'm not even done stating my case!" Mr. Tarus exclaimed.

Ariana Szelsky spoke up. "Rose Hathaway has the floor."

"Thank you." I said. "First off, you can't possibly have my stake. Dimitri's holding my stake."

It was true. His stake was tide to his belt, and he held my stake.

"Are you denying that this is your stake?" Hans held up a stake in a ziplock bag.

I took a closer look at it and laughed. "I have to give you credit. This _was_ my stake. But I lost it in Russia a month ago when I was kidnapped by Strigoi. I picked my new one randomly out of a collection sitting in the Strigoi's vault."

"And how do you denote the other evidence?" Mr. Tarus questioned.

"Where are the letters?" I asked.

Hans brought forward the letters that were in another ziplock bag. There was a huge flaw with these.

"This isn't my handwriting." I said.

"What?" Mr. Tarus scoffed. "You're lying."

"Give me a pen and paper." I rolled my eyes.

Abe gave me some out of his briefcase. I took the time to write the uppercase and lowercase alphabet, in print and cursive. I handed it to Hans. "And the only signature I can forge is my mom's, so this isn't fake."

Hans compared my handwriting to the letters. "It doesn't match up."

"And think about it." I continued. "I'm here on Tatiana's hospitality, she recently saved Dimitri from being staked by hearing me out, and she had her guardians guarding me at school. I even cane here on her private jet! How does that constitute being on bad terms? The last time I called her a bitch was when she was being a bitch. And that was a while ago."

I strategically decided to leave out the part about her protecting Sydney—my good friend.

"It's true, I can confirm it." Marie Conta said. "Except for the part about her being a bitch. I don't think of Tatiana that way."

"And your witness is a liar. I was in my room all last night. Dimitri can confirm that. As can the unfortunate couple next door who could hear that I was in my room." I said.

Mom and Abe blushed.

"Wait, that was you two?" I giggled.

"Are you saying that you were engaged in sexual intercourse at the time of the murder?" A council member asked.

"What was the time of the murder?" I asked.

"Nine o' clock a.m." The council member said.

"Yeah, that sounds about right. I didn't sleep until at least ten." I confirmed.

Lissa giggled at my sexual admission. Dimitri blushed.

"Also, many of you would know very well that there's a method to my violence and that I'm more deadly than my fellow Dhampirs. So why would someone so methodically deadly leave behind such an obvious trail of evidence? And regardless of whether I thought you'd find evidence or not, wouldn't I leave Court just to be sure? I'm not nearly this sloppy with my kills. Even when I was a Strigoi, I didn't get messy with the blood I was drinking, and it was my first time drinking blood." I pointed out. "Give me a little more credit than that."

People gasped and whispered, obviously having heard about my Strigoi nature and how I was changed back. And no one could deny my changes since the Queen herself had seen me, and it was on the Academy's security footage.

Ariana Szelsky sighed and stood up. "The council has come into agreement. Rosemarie Janine Hathaway is not guilty. Our task now is to discover who planted this fraudulent evidence and-"

She was cut off by a bullet whizzing past her ear and people screaming about a gun. I knocked Lissa over to ensure she wouldn't be hit with a bullet while everyone else scrambled out of the room.

"Roza, we're safe." Dimitri pulled Lissa and I up.

Everyone else had left the room except a few stray council members and my friends.

"I wonder who the shooter was?" Tasha Ozera had an arm around Christian.

"When did you get here?" I asked.

"I was in here before your trial started. I sat next to Christian." Tasha said.

"I meant Court in general." I specified.

"Oh, I just got in last night. I came to see Christian. And Dimitri." Tasha said.

"Me?" Dimitri questioned.

"Of course. We're still friends, right Dimka?" Tasha flirted.

I wanted to vomit, but I restrained myself for Dimitri's sake.

"Of course we are. I just didn't think you'd cone to see me. I was shocked my family came all the way from Russia." Dimitri said.

"Well, who wouldn't want to see you? Anyone who cares about you would." Tasha said.

I rolled my eyes. Christian shot me a sympathetic look. I shot one back, knowing he was probably uncomfortable with his aunt's flirting.

"I think they cane for Roza more than me. They apparently love her. You should have seen the way they acted with her." Dimitri sighed happily. "I'm glad they like her."

Tasha's look turned cold for a second before she forced her smile back on. She rushed forward and gave Dimitri a hug. "I'm glad you're not dead, Dimitri."

I clenched my fists and made a split second decision. "Hey Christian, do you want to go for a walk?"

Christian looked startled. "What?"

I grabbed his arm and started dragging him out of the room. Everyone gave me a puzzled look except Lissa. She knew why I wanted to leave. She probably even knew why I was taking Christian with me.

"Aunt Tasha really bothers you, doesn't she?" Christian asked as we got outside.

I sighed. "I liked her a lot more before I knew she liked Dimitri."

"I think you'd still like her if she wasn't throwing herself at him. Besides, can you blame her?" Christian teased.

"Look, I've tried being nice. I almost sacrificed my own happiness just so she and Dimitri could be happy." I said.

"You mean when you were at the lodge and you finally decided you should let Dimitri go if it would make him happy? And then he cane back to you anyway?" Christian guessed.

"How do you know?" I asked.

"Aunt Tasha might've mentioned it when she was drunk." Christian shrugged.

"How would she know?" I questioned.

"When Dimitri told her he couldn't take her up on her offer of kids, she insisted there was another woman involved. Dimitri admitted it. She kept prying until he finally admitted his complicated relationship with you." Christian said.

"How long has it been since she told you this?" I asked.

"She told me while we were still at the lodge. When I said she got drunk, I meant that she got drunk right after talking to Dimitri." Christian admitted.

"But if you've known this whole time... why didn't you say anything? To me or to Lissa?" I asked.

Christian sighed. "I figured it would be better if you told Lissa. If I told her, she'd have been mad at you for not telling her, and mad at me for knowing first. Plus, you seemed stressed out enough without me adding Lissa's guilt trip to the list."

I hugged Christian. "Thanks, Sparky. That means a lot."

"When I heard you told Dimitri you'd let him ho if it made him happy, it gave me a new sense of respect for you. You deserved the chance to tell Lissa yourself." Christian smiled.

"You've suddenly become very huggable." I didn't release him from my grasp.

"And you two have suddenly become very adorable." Lissa said after her camera flashed. "Now I have evidence—you two like each other."

"I think that became obvious when he started putting up with my snark and when he started going on our crazy suicide missions." I said, pushing him away.

"I thought that proved how much I loved Lissa." Christian snorted.

"That too." I admitted.

"Look Rose, if you don't like the way Aunt Tasha acts around Dimitri, call her on it. Even I know she's mercilessly flirting in the hope that he'll start to like her. I'll even back you up on it—as a friendly favor. Which means you'd owe me." Christian said.

"I'll consider that. But I want to give her a chance too." I sighed.

"Aw, you're so nice." Christian teased as he put an arm around me.

"Shut up." I hit him playfully.

When we got back to the courtroom, Tasha and Dimitri were gone.

"Where did Tasha and Dimitri go?" I asked.

"She said she wanted to show him one of the gardens." Mom shrugged.

I shrugged and walked off in search of them. I wanted to spend time with Dimitri. I walked from garden to garden, never seeming to get the right one. When I finally found them, I wasn't happy.

Dimitri was shirtless and laying on top of her. Not only that, but their tongues were down each other's throats and she was trying to undo his pants. Now I really was ready to commit murder.


	21. Vulnerability

**Chapter 21: Vulnerability**

**Rose's POV**

The next thing I knew, Dimitri had been knocked off of Tasha and I was sitting on top of her, choking her.

"Roza, don't hurt her!" Dimitri sounded more concerned with Tasha's safety than my anger.

"What the hell were you doing?!" I demanded.

"Kissing." Dimitri answered simply.

"Well that's obvious, Comrade! Why? Why would you kiss her when you say you love me? And don't give me bullshit about her overpowering you, because you're tougher than that and I clearly saw you on top of her!" I growled.

"Because I wanted to." Dimitri stated.

That comment completely disarmed me. I released Tasha's neck from my chokehold and stared dumbfoundedly at Dimitri. "What? But... you love me."

"Love fades. Mine has." Dimitri said coldly.

His words were worse than a stake to the heart—and I can say I know that for a fact. In fact, his words were pretty much the worst heartbreak I'd ever felt. This was the kind of feeling I'd been able to avoid as a Strigoi. I wished I was one now.

I ran away before he could see the tears forming in my eyes. No one was supposed to see me cry. I ran into guest housing so fast that I think the manager thought I was running from an enemy. The only enemy I was running from was my emotions.

I slammed my door behind me and flopped on the bed. This was the bed Dimitri and I had slept on just the night before. All I could think about was Dimitri, which led back to his horrible words. _Love fades. Mine has. Love fades. Mine has. Love fades. Mine has..._

It repeated over and over in my mind like that song you wish you could get out of your head, but the tune was too catchy. I desperately sobbed into my pillow, focusing on each shallow breath instead of Dimitri's words.

"Rose?" Lissa's voice followed a knock at my door.

I just continued to sob in merciless agony. I heard my door open and Lissa's footsteps. Lissa sat on the bed behind me.

"Why are you crying?" She asked. "What's wrong?"

I didn't answer. It was too painful.

"Rose, tell me what's wrong. Let me help." Lissa insisted.

"You _can't_ help! You've never experienced this before, you don't know what it's like!" I snapped.

"At least tell me what's wrong!" Lissa exclaimed.

"Dimitri and Tasha were kissing! Because he wanted to... he wanted to..." My voice broke and I heaved a sob.

"That doesn't make sense, Rose. Dimitri loves you." Lissa said.

"That's what I thought. But then he said love fades and that his had..." I put my face back in my pillow.

Lissa wrapped her arms around me and laid close to me. "I haven't been in this exact situation, but I have felt heartbreak before. The one thing I know I can do is not leave you alone."

And true to her word, she stayed with me the entire time. I even cried myself to sleep and woke up an hour later to find her still with me. She stroked my head the same way she had when I'd come back from being a Strigoi.

"Why now? Why not during the countless times she'd thrown herself at him at the Academy? Why not when I was willing to let him go?" I sniffled.

"Boys are stupid." Lissa said.

"What about Christian?" I asked.

"He's not a boy. He's a man." Lissa said.

I laughed. "You're right, he is."

"Rose? Lissa." Christian knocked.

"Can he come in?" Lissa asked.

I nodded my head.

"Come in, Christian." Lissa said.

Christian walked in and immediately frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Dimitri kissed Tasha. Because he wanted to." I said. "And I think it would've gone a lot further than that if I hadn't shown up. Hell, maybe it did end up going further after I left."

"I hate her." Christian said.

I sighed. "Christian-"

"No, it's not just you. I hate that she's making you miserable, but that's not the only problem. She didn't come to see me. She cane for Dimitri and didn't even think about if I was here. We haven't even spent Christmas or other holidays together other than at the lodge, not in a while. She came to the lodge for Dimitri, not me. She hasn't come to see me just to see me in over a year. She's all I've got left, and she ignores me for her personal interests." Christian sighed. "I hate her."

I got up and hugged Christian. "Don't hate her. She might be a bitch, but don't hate her. And just so you know, she's not all you have left. You have us too."

"Are you sure she's not hysterical? She just said she was one of the people I had left?" Christian asked Lissa teasingly.

"I'm serious, Christian. I actually liked you after I found out you weren't as creepy as you made yourself seem. I didn't think bad of you because of the Ozera name, I thought you were weird because you made yourself seem that way. Once I got to see the spark of niceness and normalcy, I knew you were good for Lissa. I like you, Sparky." I said.

"If it makes you feel better, I could set Dimitri on fire." Christian offered.

"Fighting fire with fire doesn't always help, Pyro." I sighed.

"Coming from the badass Strigoi hunter with a bad temper." Christian smirked.

"Look, I just want to be alone. Okay?" I requested.

"No, I have to make you feel better." Lissa hugged me.

"Unless you want to tell me—and Christian—about your past heartbreaks, you can't stay." I threatened playfully.

Lissa groaned. "Ugh, fine. But I expect to see you at dinner."

Dinner was a few hours away. I'd spent most of the day moping over Dimitri. I rolled my eyes, "Sure, Liss. I'll be there."

"I love you." Lissa gave me one last hug before leaving with Christian.

"Love you, too." I muttered.

I wasn't going to dinner. I was going to drink myself into unconsciousness. Adrian had jokingly sent me alcohol the night before, probably expecting I'd return it the same way I'd done with the perfume. I hadn't gotten around to it, and I wasn't going to now. I tried to down the entire bottle.

**Lissa's POV**

I'd been worried about Rose since I'd left her, and her not showing up for dinner didn't help.

"Liss, maybe we shouldn't have left her alone." Christian said.

"I'm sure she'll be here any minute." I lied to myself as much as Christian.

We were at dinner with all the friends we'd brought to Court. It was at the Ivashkov residence. Adrian was pretty depressed about Tatiana's murder, but he had Sydney to make him feel better.

"I wonder where Rose is?" Jill asked.

"Probably being distracted by Dimitri." Eddie joked.

"Yeah, you could say that." Christian muttered.

I elbowed him. "Shh."

I decided reaching into the bond to see where Rose was. Except... I couldn't connect to her. The bond was still there, but it was muted. That's how Rose said it feels when I'm sleeping or drunk. Oh, God.

"Christian, we should go get Rose." I stood up abruptly.

"That's what I was telling you!" Christian scoffed.

"Christian, we _have_ to get _Rose_." I said through clenched teeth.

Christian didn't know exactly what I meant, but he understood the tone of my voice and got up to follow me. When I got to Rose's room, I winced. Her whole room looked like a crime scene. Everything was strewn everywhere and there was a broken bottle that had been thrown against the wall. Rose herself was nowhere in sight.

"Rose!" I exclaimed, frantically looking for her.

A small groan came in response from the bathroom. I rushed in to find Rose almost naked in the tub. And by almost, I mean that the only thing she wore was her bra and underwear. She was passed out cold.

"Oh, Rose..." I sat next to the tub.

She'd gotten herself drunk. And Rose wasn't violent when she was drunk, so the mess in her room was a pretty big sign that she was more upset than I'd expected. Poor Rose. Christian and I tried to lift her out of the tub, but her eyes fluttered open.

"Vasy!" Rose giggled.

"God, you really are drunk." I said.

"Huh?" Christian was confused.

"Vasy was the nickname she came up with before Lissa. Obviously, it didn't stick." I said.

"Christian!" Rose slurred. "I like you..."

"Yes Rose, we established that earlier today." I tried getting her up again.

"He's so nice. And adorable when he wants to be..." Rose mumbled.

"Wait, what?" I dropped her a couple of inches.

Rose sat herself up awkwardly and pulled Christian's face close to hers. She gave him a kiss, which I think shocked him more than me. "Shh, don't tell Lissa..."

I pulled Rose back. "If you weren't drunk and miserable, I'd kill you."

"Your Spirit darkness is slowly killing me anyway. Might as well speed up the process." Rose muttered.

"Rose, come on. Don't make yourself stupid just because Dimitri is." Christian recomposed himself.

"I don't want to think about Dimka. I just... want to... sleep." Rose fell against me.

Christian and I managed to lift her out of the tub and we wrapped her in a blanket. I wasn't about to leave her in her mess of a room, especially not alone, so we dragged her to my room. We bumped into Jill and Eddie.

"Guys, what's wrong with Rose?" Jill asked.

"She's exhausted. I'm taking her back to my room for the night." I said. "What are you two doing?"

Jill turned completely red and Eddie didn't look much better.

"I was just... taking Jill to her room. Being an escort." Eddie said.

"Jill's room is in the other direction. Your room is this way." I said.

"Um..." Jill tried thinking of an excuse.

"Rose already told me her theory that you two like each other. I personally don't mind, but taking Jill to your room seems a bit fast..." I said.

"That's not what we were doing!" Eddie exclaimed.

"Whatever. I have to get Rose back to my room." I said.

Eddie and Jill blushed and continued to his room. I didn't think they were going to sleep together—Eddie was better than that—but it still wasn't a good idea for them to be alone in a room all night. I had to focus on that later though. Rose was my priority at the moment.


	22. The Runaway

**Chapter 22: The Runaway**

**Rose's POV**

I woke up the next morning with my head throbbing. It felt like someone was hammering at my skull. This was the worst hangover I'd had since my very first one. At least I didn't have to worry about harsh sunlight. I was also wearing nothing but my bra and underwear. I looked around, not recognizing the room I was in. Then I realized that Lissa was cuddled next to me. It must be her room.

"Ugh..." I got up as slowly as possible.

Even going slowly, I still felt dizzy when I stood up. I hobbled to the bathroom. I had nothing to change into, so I focused on putting cold water on my face. I knew being drunk was a bad thing, but I couldn't handle last night's pain. I could handle it now that I was strategically ignoring it.

"Rose?" Lissa yawned. "Where are you?"

"Bathroom." I groaned.

She must not have considered that I could be going to the bathroom, because she walked in without warning.

"What if I'd been peeing?" I teased.

"We have the same parts. It wouldn't have been that creepy." Lissa said. "How's your head?"

"I think we both know it's pounding like a drum." I said.

"Yeah, it hurts like a bitch. I wonder if it will stop you from getting drunk again." Lissa quipped.

"I wasn't planning on getting drunk again." I snapped.

As I stared at my reflection, I noticed Lissa get a look of pity on her face.

"I don't want your pity." I said.

Lissa sighed. "Rose, everyone wants a little pity. Even I want pity. I don't like the kind of pity when you just know people are thinking about how pathetic you've become, but I crave the kind of pity where they give you a sympathetic look and try to help."

"I don't want to talk about it." I said.

"The last time you bottled up your emotions, you had a major fallout. Do you want that again?" Lissa was trying hard to give me tough love.

"I'm not bottling it up. We talked about it yesterday and I was in a fit of heaving sobs for most of the day and didn't do much better after you left. I'd say I'm expressing my emotions to a pretty large extent." I countered.

Lissa detected my oncoming anger and changed the subject. "You know, you kissed Christian last night."

"What? No, I didn't." I scoffed.

"You did. You said he was nice. And adorable when he wants to be..." Lissa bit her lip with laughter. "And then you kissed him and told him not to tell me—even though I was right next to you. You even called me Vasy."

"Yeah, right." I scoffed.

Christian suddenly walked in, smirked, and kissed my cheek. "Hey, lover. You better hide before Lissa finds you."

"Dear God, you weren't lying." I groaned.

"Nope." Lissa smirked.

"You know, I'm not dressed appropriately for a friendly visit." I told Christian.

"I helped carry you here. I've seen you in what you're wearing anyway." Christian pointed out.

Lissa's phone suddenly rang and stopped our witty banter. "Hello? How did you get my number? Oh. Wait, calm down! Rose is with me. Yes, it does look like a crime scene. Everything's fine. Okay, bye."

"Who was that?" I asked.

"Your mom." Lissa said. "And I didn't mean to make that sound like a joke."

"I know what you meant by _your mom_. What looks like a crime scene?" I questioned.

"Your bedroom. Everything's strewn everywhere and you threw a bottle at the wall." Lissa said.

"I think I vaguely remember that." I admitted.

"Your mother's coming over." Lissa said.

"But I'm not appropriately dressed." I said.

"You can wear my clothes." Lissa sighed.

"Will they fit?" I asked.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Lissa exclaimed.

"You're taller and thinner than me." I rephrased.

"Oh, right." Lissa blushed.

"Like I'd ever call you fat." I rolled my eyes.

We went into her bedroom area and she gave me some sweats to wear. They had Lehigh written on them, but they were the only thing of hers that fit me—sweats were stretchy enough for my waistline and all sweats were baggy, so no one would notice if they were too tall on me.

"Not too bad of a fit." Christian commented.

"Her underwear fits well too." I agreed.

"You're wearing Lissa's underwear?" Christian arched an eyebrow.

"Mine aren't exactly fresh after a day's worth of wear." I rolled my eyes.

"I'm sorry, but guys don't normally share underwear, so I still think it's weird when girls do it." Christian said.

"And the next time she wears this pair, you won't just be pulling them off her, you'll be wondering if this is the pair with Rose germs on it. And you'll have to wonder with every pair, because you don't know which pair I took." I teased.

"I think you just scarred me for life." Christian said.

Lissa was staring at us with wonder. "Sometimes I think you guys would've become a couple if you'd met first and Dimitri wasn't in the picture. Sometimes I swear to God that there's just that kind of tension between you two..."

"Yeah, I don't want to risk literal flames every time I have sex. I'd rather not let myself get burned until I go to Hell." I said.

"You told her about the flames!" Christian exclaimed.

Lissa giggled. "No, she saw it through the bond..."

A knock came to Lissa's door. My mother's voice followed. "Rose? Lissa?"

"Come in!" Lissa called.

My mom walked in and immediately rushed to hug me. "What happened? Why does your room look like that?"

"I got into a drunken rage." I said.

"Why?" Mom asked.

I looked down. "I don't want to talk about it."

Mom tipped my chin up. "Tell me."

An odd feeling rushed through me. I'd thought my entire life that Mom was cold and distant. Then she'd slowly started coming out of her shell. Seeing her now, acting like what I thought a mother was supposed to act like, it made me feel complete. Lissa must have felt my feelings, because she gave me a smile.

"I... I found Dimitri with Tasha... kissing." I said.

"Did he kiss her back?" Mom didn't jump to conclusions about Dimitri.

"He was the one on top." I shuddered.

Mom frowned. "Do you want me to kill him?"

"Do you kill Dhampirs?" I asked.

"I kill monsters. Only a monster would break your heart." Mom said.

"I love her mom." Christian said.

Lissa elbowed him. A ringing sound came from Mom's pocket. But it wasn't her phone. I knew that ringtone all too well.

"Why do you have my phone?" I asked.

"I picked it up while I was investigating your room." Mom shrugged and handed it to me.

The ringtone was one I'd specifically picked out for Dimitri. I had one hundred missed calls from him. As I pressed ignore, it became one hundred and one.

"Who was it?" Lissa asked.

"No one that deserves my attention." I said. "I've got to go clean my room. See you later, Liss."

"Wait a second, I can't just let you leave alone." Lissa grabbed my arm.

"You can and you will." I pulled my arm away and left the room.

I don't know if anyone followed me, but I sprinted for my room anyway. I had a job to do and didn't want anyone trying to stop me. I packed my bag and cleaned the broken glass from the bottle I'd thrown. I knew plans like this could be pretty stupid, but I had to do it. I called Adrian's room.

"Hello?" He yawned.

"Is Sydney there?" I asked.

"Yeah, why?" He asked.

"Just hand her the phone, Adrian." I said.

"Fine." He sighed.

After a few seconds, Sydney answered. "Hello?"

"Since you're an Alchemist... I was wondering if you knew of any place where vampires and Alchemists wouldn't be able to find me. Maybe somewhere remote." I said.

"Why would you need that information?" Sydney asked.

"Please Sydney, this is important." I said.

Sydney sighed. "Okay, I know of a place. But you'll have to pretend you killed the Queen."

"Why?" I asked.

"Just trust me." Sydney said.

She gave me information on how to find this place and a few tips for when I got there. I wrote down some things I needed to write. Then I grabbed my bag and started walking outside. I ran into Jill on my way out.

"Hey, Rose. What's with the bag?" Jill asked suspiciously.

"I'm leaving early. Do you think you could give this to Eddie?" I handed her a letter.

Jill looked down at the letter. "Sure... but do you have to leave early? I was kind of hoping to hang out with you and Lissa."

I smiled at Jill and gave her a hug. "I have to go, but Lissa will gladly hang out with you."

"Okay. And Rose... thanks for bringing me here. I've always wanted to know who my dad was, and now I have a sister too." Jill hugged me tighter.

"Your welcome, Jailbait." I sighed, pulling away from her. "Goodbye."

"See you later, Rose." Jill said.

I continued going, tears leaving my eyes as I did. I had to leave, but... I hated leaving my friends. I continued into the Court's parking garage and took one of the cars. I drove all the way out of Court, off to the place Sydney had given me directions to.

**Lissa's POV**

I hadn't seen Rose in a few hours and I was about to leave looking for her. Eddie suddenly burst into my room.

"Lissa, Rose is gone!" Eddie exclaimed.

"What?" I was caught off guard.

"Look!" Eddie handed me a piece of paper.

It had Rose's handwriting on it. It said:

_I'm sorry, but I couldn't stay. I need a few weeks—maybe even longer—to myself. I love you guys, but you would've only stopped me from leaving. And I couldn't stay, because everything reminds me of Dimitri—especially when all you guys want to do is talk about him. Hopefully, I'll see you guys in a few weeks. If not... just know I've never stopped loving you guys. Goodbye._

_-Rose_

"No, she doesn't get to run away!" I exclaimed.

"She already did. And this isn't the first time. You two tried running away to the woods when you were kids—which is kind of adorable—you two ran away together from the Academy for a little over a year, and she ran away to Russia to save Dimitri. If you guys were a band, she'd be Joan Jett." Christian pointed out.

"That's not funny!" I snapped.

"No, it's not." A tall figure loomed in my doorway.

"What do you want, Dimitri?" I was ready to snap his neck if he pissed me off.

"To explain. It's not what Roza thinks." Dimitri said.

"That's what all cheaters say." I scoffed.

"It's also what the innocent say!" Dimitri snapped. "Look, I wasn't doing what Roza thought."

"So you weren't making out with Tasha? And you didn't tell Rose Love fades. Mine has?" I glared at him.

Dimitri's face contorted into a look of pain. "I know what she told you, but-"

"She wouldn't tell me anything. I know you said that to her because it's the one phrase that played over and over again in her mind yesterday. You know, Rose has always been a lot more sensitive than me, she's just better at hiding it. I' sick of your games and the heartbreak you cause her! I hate the mixed signals and negative feelings you send her! And-" I suddenly shuddered—I was drawing on a mixture of Rose's current emotions and my own Spirit darkness.

"Lissa?" Christian put an arm around me.

I sighed, trying to calm myself. "If it wasn't what Rose thought, what the hell was it?"

"Compulsion. Tasha compelled me to kiss her. She probably would have made me do worse if I hadn't snapped out of it when I saw Roza starting to cry. Believe me, I would never purposely hurt her." Dimitri said, looking sincere.

I looked at his aura. I wasn't as good as Adrian, but bright lights of truth were peaking out everywhere mixed with pangs of sadness and regret.

"Why should we believe you? Why should we believe that Tasha went that far?" Christian questioned.

"Because I'm telling the truth. Tasha even got angry afterward and tried to re-compel me." Dimitri promised.

Christian knew Dimitri was telling the truth, he was just too afraid to admit it.

"Please, believe me." Dimitri begged.

"I do believe you." I said. "But Rose is so blinded by heartbreak that she might not believe you."

"Where would she go?" Eddie sighed. "There aren't many places where we can't find her, if there are any at all."

I tried looking into Rose's mind. I could see a lot of things, but I didn't recognize any of it. She was driving near trees and wooded areas.

_"Shit, I should've had someone compel Sydney to forget she helped me. When she figures out why I asked for her help, she'll probably help them find me." Rose thought._

"Sydney!" I exclaimed. "Sydney knows where she's going."


	23. The Keepers

**Chapter 23: The Keepers**

**Lissa's POV**

We rushed to see Sydney and Adrian after I explained that she knew where Rose was. Adrian gave Sydney a confused look when we told him.

"Sage, when someone—especially someone like Rose—asks where they could hide out for a while without being found, that's not a good sign." Adrian said.

"I know, but we can still follow her to her destination. Besides, she'll be safe as long as she claims she killed the Queen." Sydney said.

"Why? What does Tatiana's murder have to do with this?" I asked.

"She going to a community of Keepers—Moroi, humans, and Dhampirs who keep the old ways of the Moroi." Sydney said.

"Care to elaborate for us smaller minded people?" Christian sighed.

"By old ways, I mean breeding across the three races, multiple wives, and fighting for leadership. Like, fighting to the death kind of fighting." Sydney explained.

"Oh." I didn't know what to think of that. "Why does she have to pretend she murdered Tatiana though?"

"Because they typically don't like modern Moroi civilization. They call Moroi and Dhampirs the Tainted and Strigoi the Lost. They even call Alchemists Lily-people. They won't accept her as Tainted, but if she says she killed the Queen of the Tainted... they'd have a sense of respect for her." Sydney elaborated.

"So you sent Rose to a backwoods civilization of Moroi who will only like her if she says she's the Queen's murderer?" Dimitri didn't sound happy about that.

"Rose can take care of herself." Sydney shrugged. "Besides, they wouldn't flat out kill her. They'd probably just force her to stay away from them and leave their community."

"Which would make it even harder to find her." Dimitri pointed out.

Sydney frowned in annoyance. "Look, the reason I didn't ask questions is because Rose is my friend. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't know any of you. And if you leave now, you'll only be a few hours behind her. Heck, you could even get ahead of her if you use a plane—she's only driving from the way I understand this."

"Sydney's right. There's no point in dwelling on the past when we could be going after Rose. Let's just get the location and go." I said.

As it turned out, the Keepers were in South Carolina. We were lucky to convince the council to let us use the Queen's private jet again, but Abe could work wonders.

"So... why is my daughter driving to South Carolina?" Abe questioned.

"Actually, she didn't drive the whole way. She drove to an airport and after she flew to South Carolina, she rented a car." I said, channeling the bond.

"With what money?" Christian asked.

"Adrian's." I shrugged.

"She didn't ask me for money." Adrian said.

"She still has your credit card." I said.

"That explains why my card was used to buy a dress after we got to Court." Adrian nodded.

I was suddenly pulled into the bond by a sharp burst of emotion. "Oh, shit."

Christian grabbed me before I could fall over. "What's wrong?"

"I was just caught off guard by-" I stopped as I realized which emotion had pulled me in. It wasn't from anger, love, or sadness. It was lust. "Oh, God..."

"What?" Dimitri looked concerned.

"We need to get to Rose. Now." I said.

**Rose's POV**

The Keepers had done exactly what Sydney predicted. They attacked me until I mentioned killing Tatiana. That caused me to be liked and respected pretty quickly. I was even invited to stay in the leader of the Keepers' house. A house that also housed two teenagers—a girl named Angeline and her brother Joshua. Angeline had been the one that attacked me when I'd arrived, while Joshua was being overly affectionate for a stranger. I could tell he liked me.

"More mashed potatoes?" Joshua asked.

"No, thanks." I was still playing with my first serving.

"So, tell me how you killed the Tainted Queen." Raymond—Joshua and Angeline's father—requested.

I decided to just use details we'd been told in the courtroom. "I plunged my silver stake through her heart."

Paulette and Sarah—Raymond's wives—smirked in entertainment. Angeline seemed to be scrutinizing me and Joshua stared at me in wonder.

"Ha, bitch deserves it." Raymond laughed.

_Not really_. I thought.

"What's it like? Living in modern Moroi society?" Angeline asked.

"I think the biggest differences from you guys are our modern houses, our taboos about breeding between the races, and the fact that we don't fight for power." I decided not to mention the multiple wives thing.

"Sounds horrible." Paulette said.

"Not really. There's less death." I blurted.

"Until your tensions rise so high that you all kill each other." Sarah snorted.

She had a point there. Plus, I was pretending I'd killed Tatiana, which only proved her point.

"Tell us what you do for fun." Angeline sounded sincerely interested.

"I spend time with my best friend—which mostly consists of girl talk and her using her powers. And I like doing exhibition matches with my fellow Dhampirs. Then there's shopping, doing my nails, making fun of teachers, etc." I listed some things off.

Angeline stared at me with longing. She must hate being cooped up with her community. I couldn't blame her for wanting to see the world.

"If you all don't mind, I'm going to bed. I'm tired from all the running I've done today." I said.

"Yes, running from the Tainted must be difficult. Take Angeline's room." Raymond said.

Angeline sighed, but I had a feeling she'd listen to her father. I just entered a room, figuring it was Angeline's, and laid down on the bed.

"You know, this is the wrong room." Joshua leaned in the doorway.

"Huh?" I asked.

"This is my room." He said.

I got up. "Sorry, I-"

Joshua stopped me from passing him, put his arms around me, and pushed me against the wall. Then he kissed me.

At first, I wanted to push him away in annoyance, but then... I wanted him to kiss me. His kiss seemed to take away the pain I was feeling. I kissed him back and we eventually ended up on his bed. This was the distraction I'd longed for. And I let him distract me until he tugged at my shirt.

It was weird, but I felt afraid to let him move further. I grabbed his hands and pushed him away. "Stop."

"Do you not like me?" Joshua asked, out of breath. "Because you kissed me..."

I sighed. "Joshua, I barely know you. I'm not going to sleep with you the day I meet you."

"But I like you." Joshua said.

"I do like you. But I don't love you, and I think that's a necessary part of sex." I said. "Besides, I just barely got out of a relationship—I'm not looking to get into another one. Not yet."

"I'd wait forever for you." He said.

As I looked into his blue eyes, I could tell he was sincere. He thought instant love and affection were normal. He was cute, especially with his sandy blond hair, but I couldn't see myself with him. I didn't even like him that way, let alone love him.

"Joshua, don't. Don't wait forever for me. I'm not going to end up with you, and I don't want to lead you on or break your heart. Okay?" I sighed.

I'd strung Mason along, and look what happened. And I didn't want Joshua—or anyone else—to experience the same heartbreak I had. It was cruel and wrong.

"Perhaps someday if you're still here and available, we can be together?" Joshua suggested.

"I doubt it. I don't think I'll stay here. Besides, I don't want you to wait around for me—for something that might never happen." I said.

"I told you, I'd wait forever. Besides, I can have mire than one wife, so you don't have to worry about me dying alone without you." Joshua said.

I smiled bitterly. "That's the other problem. I'm purely monogamist—I don't share."

Joshua gave me one last kiss. "Whoever the man is that holds your heart, he's very lucky."

"He doesn't know how much." I muttered, standing up. I stood in the doorway a second and said, "Goodnight, Joshua."

"Goodnight, Rose." Joshua said.

As I got back to Angeline's real room, I realized the other reason I'd frozen up. I'd started picturing Dimitri as soon as Joshua pressed me against the wall.

_"Don't do that again." Dimitri breathed heavily._

_"Don't kiss me back then." I countered._

Joshua's blue eyes and blond hair had both turned brown during my moment of distracted lust. But no one could replace Dimitri in the end. Not even Joshua.

"I know you don't really like my brother, but he still believes you do. He has a hard time seeing reality sometimes—especially if it goes against what he wants. He wants you, so he believes you'll come back for him one day." Angeline said.

She was lying in her bed and I'd taken the floor.

"What would you have done if I did like him?" I asked.

"Dueled you. Fighting to prove dominance is important when looking for a mate. If you could beat me, you'd be worthy of him. If not, you'd be unworthy. But since I know you don't really like him, I'm not going to fight you." Angeline said.

"Thanks." I said.

"Can you take me away from here? To the modern Moroi world?" Angeline asked, turning to look down at me from her bed.

When I saw the sincerity in her eyes, I felt bad for her. "Angeline... I don't want to go back for a while, and I'm pretty sure your parents would kill me."

"I could say I threatened you." Angeline suggested.

"Angeline..." I sighed. "I can't."

"Just take me with you when you leave. Please." Angeline begged.

I could sympathize with her position, but I didn't know if I could help her. "I'll think about it."

"That's all I ask." Angeline turned back over.

**Lissa's POV**

Thank God, she stopped herself before she went too far with Joshua. My friends all stared at me curiously as they saw me relax.

"What was happening to Rose that made you so worried? And why are you calm now?" Christian asked.

I looked at Dimitri, thinking about how much this could hurt him. I decided I should tell them anyway. "You know how Rose says she gets pulled into the bond by sharp bursts of emotion? I got pulled into the bond because of her emotions. She was feeling lust towards one of the Keepers, but she stopped herself before she went too far. She just scared me."

Dimitri frowned. "How far did she get?"

"Not far." I said. "Trust me."

We were silent for the rest of the plane ride and I couldn't tap into Rose, because she'd fallen asleep. Christian tried to keep me entertained, but I was too worried about Rose to pay attention. Jill was crying a little next to a sleeping Eddie.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I should've noticed when Rose gave me that letter... she said goodbye instead of see you later..." Jill sniffled.

I sighed. "Honestly Jill, you couldn't have stopped her. Even I can't stop her when she's determined to do something."

"You're right." Jill nodded.

Once that problem was settled, I noticed Rose's mom staring at Dimitri. I sensed her indecision, not knowing if she should stake him like the monster she'd referred to him as earlier, or if she should say comforting words to the wronged victim of Tasha's compulsion. We hadn't even had time to go confront her with everything going on. I had a feeling she'd be gone when we got back too. Christian was secretly thinking of how horrible she'd slowly become, I just knew he was.

Our plane landed and we drove through the countryside until we finally reached the woods where Rose had parked her rental. There were only a few other cars in the area. Sydney led our way through the woods, knowing exactly where to go.

"Attack!" Someone yelled. The same person yelled. "Wait, it's a Lily-girl!"

A sudden flurry of Moroi, Dhampirs, and humans came from the trees. The one who was obviously the leader came forward and stood in front of Sydney.

"What do you want, Lily-girl?" He'd been the one that yelled earlier.

"I sent Rose Hathaway to stay with you. It's safe for her to come home now, and we want to see her." Sydney said confidently.

"Why would you need this many people?" He asked.

"Because they're her friends and family. They couldn't wait to see her." Sydney technically told the truth. "Please, you can even observe our interaction with her."

"What if I don't believe you?" He questioned.

Sydney took a quick glance at Dimitri. "Then her mate will fight his way through all of you. And regardless of the fact that he's just one man, you still don't have a chance against him."

"She's right about that." Rose said. "He could take on a freaking Strigoi army."


	24. Reconciliation

**Chapter 24: Reconciliation**

**Rose's POV**

I could believe that my friends would come after me, but I couldn't believe they'd brought Dimitri. He was the object of my pain—and what drove me away!

"Rose!" Lissa sighed with relief.

I stood silently, waiting expectantly for their lecture on why I shouldn't leave.

"Are you going to say anything?" Lissa frowned.

"I'm waiting for your lecture. It usually follows everything I do, regardless of whether or not it's stupid." I said.

Lissa sighed. "Rose please, just come back. I'm not going to lecture you, because I understand why you left. Just come back and listen to us."

Tears were welling in the back of my eyes, but I didn't let them fall. "I don't want to come back. I want to forget."

Lissa suddenly rushed forward, grabbing me in a way the Keepers and I hadn't expected. "Damn it, Rose! Don't abandon us because of one person's stupidity! What the hell happened to sisters before misters or whatever you call that shit?"

"It died along with the rest of my heart and soul." I said seriously.

"Rose, stop reverting back to the Strigoi way of thinking! You're not a monster! You have feelings—ones that need to be resolved!" Lissa exclaimed.

"At least being a Strigoi didn't hurt." I countered. "It was a sick pleasure, but it was better than this. Coming back wasn't worth it if all I'll ever feel is exactly what I tried to avoid. Besides, I was always a monster. I just didn't always have literal fangs to bear."

Lissa flinched at my words. "Please Rose, just listen to us. Hear us out without interruption and let your rationality rule you, not your broken heart."

Dimitri finally moved closer and replaced Lissa as my captor. "Roza, I love you. And I know you still love me too."

I threw his own words back at him. "Love fades. Mine has."

Dimitri winced and I pulled away, running into the woods full of Keepers. He didn't deserve to see me cry.

**Lissa's POV**

"Damn it, Rose!" I called after her as I ran.

I was starting to feel out of breath, but I couldn't stop until I got her back. She ran through a lot of twists and turns, probably not knowing where she was going. She was letting herself get lost to escape us.

"Princess, go back to the Keepers." Dimitri said as he ran past me, clearly not out of breath.

I practically collapsed right where I was and had Christian drag me back.

"You're heavy." He said, panting.

"That's just because you've been running." I said.

**Dimitri's POV**

I chased after Roza, catching up to her quickly. She knew I could outrun her, but she was hoping I wouldn't try. She was wrong. Just as I would have grabbed her, she moved to the side and abruptly stopped. I slid forward awkwardly and fell, trying to stop myself.

Roza was practically out of breath and looked ready to collapse. "Why can't you just leave me alone? It would be less torture than you coming back to bother me every time I finally think I'm over you."

"That's ironic, because that's exactly how I felt about you when I was your mentor. I'd think I finally cleared my head of you, but then you'd do something that made me fall in love with you all over again." I told her.

"Stop it! Stop talking! Stop looking at me like that! You don't understand how much it hurts..." Roza fell over wincing.

"Calm down. Your heart needs rest after all that running." I advised.

"Then why won't you let it? You have no idea how fast my heart races when I see you." Roza sniffled.

I tried to help her up, but she just pushed me away and sat up awkwardly on the ground, trying to let herself calm down.

"Roza, I'm trying to help you, but you won't let me." I said.

"And what do you think will help me?" She dared me to guess.

"Letting me talk to you." I said. "So we can resolve this problem."

"That's only going to make it worse." She sounded like a wounded animal and tried to get up.

She failed hopelessly and I sat next to her so I could hold her in place.

"Roza, I'm going to talk whether you want me to or not. Understand?" I gripped her shoulders firmly.

She bowed her head in resignation.

"Look, I wasn't really kissing Tasha because I wanted to. She compelled me. And I snapped out of it after you left." I said.

"Why should I believe you?" Roza tried to push me away from her.

I only brought her closer as she tried to escape. "Because I love you and you love me. That's the way it's always been, even when we were more stubborn mules."

A flicker of humor appeared in her eyes and disappeared just as quickly.

"What's so funny?" I prompted gently.

She tried hard to suppress it, but her humor won out in the end. "Dhampirs are all like mules—we come from a cross between species, and we can't breed with each other. It's what I compare us to when I explain our genetics to people."

"Well, you picked the perfect example." I pushed her unruly hair out of her face.

I could tell she was still upset with me, but her reflexes won her over as she pushed her face closer to my hand. I started slowly stroking her face, prompting a mildly contented sigh.

Then she spoke again. "It hurts so much. I thought I knew what real pain felt like, but I didn't... until I saw the way you looked at her."

"Even under compulsion, I could never look at her the same way I look at you." I pushed forward to kiss Roza.

It was close mouthed at first and she tried not to react, but her love for me won her over. She kissed me back passionately and our tongues came together at some point. I'm not sure how long we stayed like that before she pulled back to breathe. I stroked her back as she took deep breaths.

"Why do you want me? Why do you love me?" Roza asked.

"I want you because I love you. And I love you in every sense of the word. I love who you are, what you say, what you do, how you feel. I know I'll never meet someone like you, and I can't see myself with anyone but you." I promised.

Apparently, that's what I was supposed to say. She smiled at me sincerely. "I love you too, Comrade."

"So you believe me?" I asked.

"I believe you." Roza said. "And my friends must too if they brought you here."

I kissed her to show how much I loved her. Her muscles finally relaxed and she kissed me back.

"Rose! Dimitri!" Our friends called out.

"We should go, Roza." I said.

"Okay. Carry me?" She smiled pleadingly.

"Anything for you, Roza." I grinned as I picked her up.

I figured she'd make me put her down again when we got back to our friends. Or maybe she'd make me pretend I knocked her out and dragged her back, then she'd pop out and scare them. You never knew with Roza.


	25. Home Again

**Chapter 25: Home Again**

**Lissa's POV**

We were on the private jet again and Rose smiled at the sleeping Dimitri next to her. Her parents had been oddly quiet since we'd gotten her back, but they probably weren't sure what to say, especially without risking her happiness. Eddie and Jill were kissing in the seats behind me, wrongly thinking we couldn't see them. Even Christian was asleep.

Rose had also insisted to us and the Keepers that we bring along Angeline, one of the Keepers' daughters. She told them it was because Angeline could be of great help against the Tainted, but we knew there was some other reason. Angeline was staring out one of the windows excitedly. Looking at Rose's smiling face in the early morning sunlight, it made her look like an angel. But she'd called herself a monster.

"Rose?" I tried to get her attention.

She turned to look at me. "What?"

"Why did you call yourself a monster? You said you were a monster even before you were a Strigoi. What does that mean?" I asked.

Rose frowned. "Liss... I hurt people. I've been known for being mean since we were five, I strung Mason along, and I almost killed Jesse and Ralf."

"That doesn't make you a monster. A lot of people are mean as children, you sincerely tried moving on with Mason, and Jesse and Ralf were attacking me—not to mention the fact that my Spirit darkness is what brought you so close to killing them. You're not a monster." I insisted.

"Those things aren't even what scares me the most. What scares me the most is that I actually killed a human... and I don't even feel bad about it. Even if she was a bitch, I should still feel bad. Dimitri feels bad about his kills from when he was a Strigoi, but I don't feel the least bit guilty for killing Inna. I even knew her name, and knowing your victim's name is supposed to make you feel worse." Rose's voice cracked. "If I don't feel bad about killing her, how am I going to feel if I kill anyone else?"

I sighed. "Rose, the fact that you're worried obviously means you feel bad. Besides, you said she was a bitch who tried to kill you, and that it was when you couldn't control yourself. Be glad that you don't feel more guilty, because that means she won't haunt your dreams."

Rose stayed quiet in thought for the rest of the plane ride. Rather than land at Court, we were landing somewhere more familiar.

"The Academy?" Rose looked confused. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. We were only supposed to be on temporary leave from school."

And the person waiting for us on the landing pad was Kirova. As soon as we got off the plane, she looked at Rose. "Miss Hathaway, you're in trouble."

**Rose's POV**

I was sitting in Kirova's office, being scolded and lectured about my irresponsibility.

"If it wasn't bad enough to get yourself in trouble, you took a fifteen year old girl along on your crazy escapades through Court and wherever else you went. You were also gone for longer than you were supposed to be." Kirova lectured.

"To be fair, I had a reason for bringing Jill, and the Queen was okay with it." I shrugged.

"But the Queen is dead now!" Kirova pointed out.

"Makes that long live the Queen quote a little ironic, eh?" I rolled my eyes. "Right when I was starting to like her too."

Kirova sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Why did you bring Jill?"

"Because I like her." I said. "And may I introduce Lady Jillian Mastrano-Dragomir."

"What are you talking about?" Kirova questioned.

"I noticed that some of Jill's features were similar to Lissa's, and she mentioned not knowing her father, so I had her blood tested. She's Lissa's biological half-sister—the position I've always wanted." I said dramatically. "You can even check with the Moroi scientists if you want."

"Lissa?" Kirova knew Lissa would tell her the truth.

"Jill is really my biological half-sister." Lissa shrugged. "It's true."

"You two never have a boring day, do you?" Kirova sighed.

"God, no. Rose is the least boring person I know." Lissa laughed.

"Actually... I've had at least _two_ boring days. It was so nice." I said.

"When?" Lissa scoffed.

"Remember when we were on the run? There was one day when we didn't look over our shoulders or have someone come after us. And there was no emotional turmoil because neither of us were dating. It was great." I sighed.

"Rose, you snuck out of the dorm every night for a month. If you weren't dating, then what the hell _were_ you doing?" Lissa arched an eyebrow.

"That's not the point." I shrugged. "Anyway, there was also one day when my mom wasn't on duty or doing anything else. We sat on the couch for a while before she took me out to a movie. I miss the normal days."

"Just get back to class." Kirova said. "And don't take people without permission again."

"Does that mean I can kidnap Jesse and Ralf and have them killed as long as I ask permission first?" I teased.

Kirova twitched a smirk. "Go to class."

We decided to walk Jill to her class—it gave us an excuse to avoid ours—and make sure she wasn't in trouble with her teacher. When we got there, all the freshman stared at us like we were Gods.

"Please tell me you weren't held back to ninth grade, Miss Hathaway. And that you didn't drag Vasilissa down with you." Jill's teacher sighed.

"Of course not. We're prime examples of seniors." I scoffed. "We just walked Jill to class so we could avoid ours."

"Prime examples that avoid classes, _right_." Mrs. Callahan rolled her eyes. "Would you also like to ditch your classes and stay here?"

"Can we? I promise we won't disrupt your class. Lissa will hold me to it." I wiggled my eyebrows.

Dimitri sighed. "Roza-"

"Dimitri, take Eddie to class." I said.

"Why can't I stay?" Eddie whined.

"Because I have a feeling you'll be spending time with Jill after school anyway." I smirked. "Besides, having you and Lissa together pretty much guarantees me talking. Take Christian too."

Christian rolled his eyes and pulled Eddie and Dimitri with him out of the room. I looked to Mrs. Callahan for confirmation.

"I can't control whether or not you ditch. Just don't disrupt my class." She sighed.

Lissa and I excitedly sat next to Jill... who apparently sat alone at the back of the class.

"Out of curiosity, where have you been the last few days, Miss Mastrano?" Mrs. Callahan asked.

The whole class turned to look at her.

"With Rose and Lissa, ma'am." Jill said.

"Oh God, they've gotten you to ditch?" Mrs. Callahan sighed.

"No, Rose invited me to go to Court with her. I met the Queen and got to watch a trial." Jill smiled.

The other students laughed at her and Jill frowned.

"What's so funny?" Jill asked.

"_You_ meeting the Queen? Even if she wasn't dead, I don't see that happening." Brett Ozera scoffed.

"Shut up, Ozera." I glared. "And Jill's not lying. I invited her to Court, we rode on the Queen's private jet to get there, the Queen acknowledged Jill's existence—which is more than most of you can say—and she might even have a boyfriend who's a senior. God knows they kissed enough."

Jill blushed a deep red at the part about Eddie.

"Why should we believe you?" Another freshman asked. "You have a reputation for lying."

"Because the trial Jill got to see was one where they accused me of murdering the Queen—which I didn't, by the way. You can even call Court to confirm she was there." I glared at the freshman. "Besides, I also have a reputation for being nice to freshman. Ask Brett."

Brett slumped down in his seat and reluctantly answered. "She is nice to freshman... she saved a few of us from Mani."

"And you know what? Jill doesn't deserve your skepticism. She doesn't deserve your taunting either. She's a royal, and you should all start treating her like one." I said.

"Jill's not royalty. She's just another Moroi." Brett said.

Lissa suddenly stood up. "Jill is royalty. She's my half-sister. Rose brought her to Court to prove it, and she was right. Jill is a Dragomir, which means you should at least show her common courtesy, or you'll all have to deal with me. And I believe I have a reputation for telling the truth."

The class was speechless.

"Also, even if Jill wasn't royalty by blood, she's still cooler than the rest of you. She's nice, sweet, and funny. And she was obviously cool enough to warrant my attention if I looked at her closely enough to notice her lineage and bring her to Court." I grabbed Jill. "Let's go. You can come to class with us today."

Jill grinned widely as I pulled her out of the classroom, Lissa following us.

"Thanks, Rose." Jill hugged me tightly.

"Of course, Jailbait." I smiled.

Jill gave Lissa a hug too. "Thanks."

"I'm your sister. No one gets to make fun of you but me." Lissa smirked.

"Aw, group hug." I intruded on their hug.

"Okay, let's go to class before Kirova gets mad at us. God knows she'll be angry when she finds out we abducted Jill." Lissa laughed.

"Correction, we _saved_ Jill." I smiled.

The three of us walked to class—where we got yelled at by a teacher for ditching and being late.


	26. New Queen

**Chapter 26: New Queen**

**Rose's POV**

The day after we'd come back to the Academy, we were being sent back to Court. Not just us, of course, but the entire Academy. In light of the Queen's death, we needed to vote a new monarch, and since that was so rare—literally once in a lifetime—the Academy figured we could learn from the experience. And also be entertained by all the voting and festivities. There sure was a lot of celebration when a Queen died. And luckily for me, I didn't have to endure the annoyance of the educational part of this field trip. Lissa and Jill were carted off to the courtroom, and Eddie and I were allowed to follow according to what Hans said. He said that he and the royals "took notice" of the fact that Eddie and I appeared to want to be Lissa and Jill's guardians. The reason Lissa and Jill were carted off in the first place had something to do with needing a Dragomir in the courtroom—Lissa—and announcing Jill's lineage officially. I guess the Queen had spread the word to her fellow council members.

"Vasilissa." Ariana Szelsky greeted.

"Please, just call me Lissa." Lissa said.

"Lissa, we've decided today that we're going to need your help. We really need to have all twelve families in the council when we vote the new Queen in, and your the princess of your line. You may only barely be eighteen, but we all agree that you have a great head on your shoulders and have the ability to understand and choose for yourself when it comes to voting. Do we agree correctly, or would you prefer to be left out of the voting process?" Ariana asked.

Lissa looked shocked at the sudden respect, but she answered quickly. "I'd be happy to help with the elections."

"Great. And we also need to announce that this girl," Ariana grabbed Jill. "is another heir to the Dragomir line. Jill Mastrano-Dragomir."

The council members all nodded their heads in agreement. They were obviously shocked about Jill, but they were taking it admirably well and knew they should happily accept the fact that Lissa was no longer the last Dragomir.

"Alright, later tonight we're going to elect someone from each family—obviously excepting the Ivashkov's—to be the new Monarch. They'll have to go through a series of three unknown trials once they're elected, spanned over an unknown amount of time. Each person needs at least two other royals to motion for their election, and the council will simply be confirming it. See you tonight, Lissa." Ariana said.

That was apparently our cue to leave, and we walked out of the courtroom.

"I wonder who will be the new monarch." I said.

"Hopefully, Ariana. She's a really good person, and she could handle ruling us with the way she practically studies all the laws." Lissa said.

"That's true." Eddie nodded. "But if you have to have two other royals to motion for your vote, it seems like the elections are more of a popularity contest."

"It would suck if we got a horrible monarch just because they're popular." Jill said.

"Good thing Adrian's not eligible to run." I teased.

We all laughed at that, but I had a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. What if someone worse than Tatiana was elected? Tatiana may have been a bitch, but she was at least a good ruler who could be nice at times. What if we got a complete jackass? Or someone who was practically a dictator? Or-

"What are you thinking about?" Dimitri snuck up behind me and gave me a kiss.

"The monarch elections." I said.

"I wonder who the monarch will be. Maybe Ariana?" Dimitri pondered.

"We're all kind of hoping for her right now." Lissa admitted.

But what if the elections really were just a popularity contest? What if Ariana lost? Or didn't even run? We needed better odds, more good people running. But there weren't many of those in general, let alone the kind that were eligible. I'd actually rather have Adrian be our monarch than some tyrant, but he was ineligible, and he probably wouldn't want to run. I pondered that throughout the day. Who was a good person _and_ eligible to run? Who would protect us and make sure there was no tyranny? I could think of only one person I'd rather have run than Ariana, and it was crazy. Lissa was the only other person I could see doing it. I'd have made the excuse that she was ineligible herself, but she had Jill, and having at least one family member counted as having a quorum. I'd make the excuse that she couldn't handle it, but as long as her Spirit darkness was kept under control... Lissa could do anything. I thought about that particularly as we sat in the courtroom, starting the monarch elections.

"Ariana Szelsky." Someone in the Szelsky family voted.

"I second that motion." Ariana's brother said.

Ariana was in the running. That was good.

"Natasha Ozera." Someone in the Ozera family said.

Most people gaped and stared in shock—including me—as Tasha stood up. I thought it would end there, given the fact that most of the Ozeras didn't like Christian or Tasha, but it didn't.

"I second that motion." Some other Ozera said.

The other Ozeras might not particularly like Christian and Tasha, but they couldn't miss the chance to get their good name back by having a monarch in the family. Christian frowned. God, I'd rather have him in the running than Tasha. I'd actually get convicted of murdering a Queen if she made it into the monarchy. The election went on and on.

"Christian." I whispered. "Vote for Lissa."

"What?" Christian looked startled.

"Vote for Lissa. She's eligible, and she's the only chance we have besides Ariana." I said.

Christian looked hesitant, unsure of what to say. Then he spoke. "I vote Vasilissa Dragomir."

Everyone in the room—including Lissa—gaped at him in shock.

"She's not eligible." Nathan Ivashkov scoffed.

"She's eighteen, royal, and has a quorum." I pointed to Jill.

"I second the motion for Vasilissa's vote." Jill said timidly.

"I third it." Adrian said.

"Adrian!" His mother scolded.

"Mom, I'm not eligible." Adrian joked.

The council looked indecisive.

"Vasilissa Dragomir is now in the running for monarch." Ariana announced.

Then the room burst into chaos.


	27. Chaos & Controversy

**Chapter 27: Chaos &amp; Controversy**

**Rose's POV**

I shielded Lissa as the outraged Royals tried to attack her. I just hoped to God that the good royals would save us.

"Rose, what have you done?" Lissa screamed.

"Liss-" I was cut off by my own screams as someone kicked me in the stomach.

They were aiming for Lissa, but I was on top of her, covering her to the fullest extent. The only part of her that wasn't covered was her feet—she was taller than me, and her face took priority. I was hit and kicked in multiple places, eliciting screams of agony from me and looks of horror from Lissa.

Despite my pain, a sudden feeling of anger and adrenaline rushed through me. Lissa's Spirit darkness was slipping into me again. In a battle cry of anger I didn't recognize, I stood up, pushing the attackers back. I fought them all off in a blind rage, literally only seeing red. Punches and kicks were thrown everywhere by me and I even scratched a few people.

Then my rage grew—if that was possible—as I saw Tasha in an attack position. She lunged for me, but I knocked her down to the ground, me on top of her. She tried clawing and kicking her way out from under me, even trying to compel me. I couldn't interpret any of the commands she attempted to compel me with and continued attacking her. Then my most recent battle instinct kicked in. I bit into Tasha's neck.

She screamed and I tried drinking her blood the same way I would have as a Strigoi. I didn't bite nearly as deep into her without my fangs, but I drew enough blood to sate my violent feelings. Then I was lifted off of her and restrained in someone's arms.

"RELEASE ME!" I shrieked in the same tone I'd used as a Strigoi.

The person holding me flinched in fear, but he didn't let me go. "Roza, stop!"

"Must... Kill..." I tried to wiggle free.

"ROZA!" I was forced to look into the face of my captor. It was Dimitri. "Roza, she's not worth it! She's like Jesse—stupid and unworthy of death. Remember to control yourself. Fight the darkness."

As soon as I'd realized Dimitri was holding me, I'd stopped fighting him. But his words made my anger slow down. Thinking of the last time he'd stopped me, how it had led to our time in the cabin, it made me completely release my dark anger. I could see everyone's horrified faces, how they'd stopped fighting, and that they were afraid... of me.

I sobbed in agony. "I told you I was a monster..."

If the emotional strain wasn't bad enough, all of my pain from my wounds came crashing down on me as my anger and adrenaline faded. My entire body was in pain and I screamed, trying to get Dimitri to release me from his now painful grip. Dimitri gently set me on the floor, sitting next to me.

"Jesus Christ, look at her face. She has black eyes and bruises everywhere. And look at the cuts..." Adrian gasped.

"Look what all of you have done to this poor girl! She's young enough to be your child, and you beat her! If she hadn't covered Vasilissa, Vasilissa would be the one who looks like that right now! And just because of a fucking election she may not even win?! You should all be ashamed of yourselves—and imprisoned!" Ariana yelled.

I was curled into a ball, desperately clutching towards my chest. I wanted to be like an armadillo, shielded from the pains of the outside world.

"Rose?" Lissa tried to touch my arm.

I screamed in pain and she took her hand away. Lissa's Spirit darkness welled in her and she stood to yell at the crowd. "You sick bastards! I didn't even know I'd be nominated! I thought I was just here for council duties during the monarch elections! How dare you touch Rose?! How dare you touch my best friend?! She's already recovering from multiple other tragedies, and now you've beaten her to a pulp! Fuck all of you, because I'd never want to be Queen of people like you!"

Everyone flinched and took a step back. If Lissa wasn't so concerned with my safety, I think her Spirit darkness would have made her attack them the same way I had. Instead she knelt down and lightly stroked her fingers over my skin, careful not to hurt me. The pleasure that came from that mixed with all my pain sent me into sensory overload and I started shuddering.

"It's okay... it's okay..." Lissa tried to soothe me.

"L-L-Liss..." I stuttered. "T-Too much..."

She seemed to understand what I meant and stopped stroking my skin. Dimitri's hands replaced hers and he picked me up to carry me. I was so exhausted and in pain that I just blacked out after that.

**Lissa's POV**

I followed Dimitri as he carried Rose back to their room. I'd just needed time to calm the darkness in me before I started using my powers to heal Rose. She was passed out on the bed when we finally put her down.

Rose wasn't a pretty sight at the moment either. Her normally beautiful face was fraught with bruises and scratches from her fights with people. She even had two black eyes. And after a quick examination of the rest of her, she had bruised—possibly even cracked—ribs from where people had kicked her. It was a miracle she'd been able to fight so long and that she was alive now.

I got to work healing her, not caring what effect it would have on me later. The thing that scared me the most was the fact that when I was finally able to get rid of the impurities on her face, Rose had a look of pain and terror that could haunt your dreams. I ran my fingers through her hair, knowing that she'd like that if she were awake. Dimitri was pacing frantically.

"She's all healed. We just have to hope that she's emotionally okay when she wakes up." I said.

Dimitri sat next to me and pulled Rose close to him, murmuring, "Roza..."

"You know, Rose doesn't normally like any other name but Rose, Hathaway, or Rose Hathaway. She hates nicknames. But she loves it when you call her Roza." I said.

"I know." Dimitri kissed her head.

"Dimitri... can I stay?" I asked. "I don't want to leave until I get a chance to talk to her, and it's getting late..."

"Just stay, Lissa." Dimitri said.

**Rose's POV**

I woke up to find two bears cuddling me. And by two bears, I mean Lissa and Dimitri. Lissa was on one side of me while Dimitri was on the other. In one way it was comforting, while in another way I was being suffocated by two bears.

"Liss! Liss!" I whispered loudly.

Her eyes fluttered open and her grip on me released a little. "Rose?"

"I feel like I'm being suffocated. Can you please move?" I said.

Lissa scooted over and released me completely. I took the opportunity to scoot out from under Dimitri.

"How do you feel?" Lissa asked.

"Okay." I admitted. "Not experiencing extreme agony anymore."

Now that I was awake and thinking about it, some of Tasha's blood was still in my mouth, tasting weirder than blood normally did now that it wasn't fresh. I wanted her blood out of my mouth and immediately rushed to the bathroom to get rid of it. I rinsed my mouth out multiple times and brushed my teeth twice to ensure it was gone.

"See, a monster wouldn't wash blood out of her mouth." Lissa said.

I spat water into the sink. "I'd have swallowed it if it were anyone else but Tasha's. I just hate her."

"So does Christian. He stopped by last night to see if you were okay and mentioned that he's finding somewhere else to live during the summer as soon as possible. And don't tell him I said this, but... he actually kissed your forehead before he left last night." Lissa giggled.

"How are you not jealous when your boyfriend does stuff like that?" I shook my head.

"The same way he's not jealous when you make lesbian jokes about us. We both know a relationship with you isn't realistically going to happen." Lissa shrugged.

"Ouch." I joked. "I don't know whether to feel insulted or relieved."

"Definitely relieved. Besides, we both know who my first choice would be if I turned lesbian." Lissa jokingly pulled me closer.

"Lucy Fry?" I teased.

"Very funny. She's not even a lesbian." Lissa rolled her eyes.

"Duh, and neither are you." I smirked.

"Roza? Lissa?" Dimitri called, yawning.

"In the bathroom, Comrade." I called back.

Dimitri shuffled into the bathroom and immediately engulfed me in a hug, followed by an all consuming kiss of passion.

"Good morning to you too." I said.

"You're okay?" Dimitri checked.

"Never better." I lied.

A knock came to the room's door and I went to open it. A newspaper was on the ground. As I picked it up, I realized it was the Moroi news—and Lissa and I were all over the front page. The main headline read _Candidate For Queen Shows Her Confidence Skills_. It was about how strong Lissa looked compared to the average eighteen year old because she'd stood up for me and said she didn't care about having the crown if it meant leading people like them. She was gaining popularity because of it. Other headlines mentioned things like _Future Monarch Cares About Dhampirs_ and _Dragomir For Queen_. Lissa had gained major popularity because of her election and the fact that she put the other Moroi in their place. It was like an unplanned publicity stunt.

"Wow, you really can make anything positive." I handed Lissa the newspaper.

"As much as I appreciate the fact that they know I was right, I'd at least prefer that they apologize for attacking us over something I won't win." Lissa frowned.

"You can win. Besides, this is the Moroi Royal version of an apology." I shrugged.

"Rose, why did you ask Christian to nominate me?" Lissa sighed.

"For the same reason he agreed and why Jill and Adrian seconded the motion. I know you'd be a better leader than any candidate they've got. Ariana's the only other candidate I can respect." I said solemnly.

"And what makes you think I'd be a good leader?" Lissa questioned.

"Because you've always been a good leader. People already liked you before we left the Academy, and then you became the queen bee of the school when we got back." I pointed out.

"Rose, they liked me because I was an important royal and were interested in the fact that I was the last of my bloodline. And becoming queen bee was a hostile takeover where I was mean and compelled people because Spirit was getting to me." Lissa sighed.

"Liss, you converted people to liking you without being mean or compelling them in a lot of cases. Your kindhearted personality is as magnetic as my sarcasm, if not more magnetic. And even if you were using cruel tactics, you made the Academy your bitch. Besides, you were leading people even before that. You're my moral compass that points me in the right direction. When I go too far, you stop me and convince me to do something else. When I'm not dragging you through my reckless plans, you're dragging me through the rest of my life and helping me make the right decisions. And even during my reckless plans, you make your own editions and make my plan better. You're the only person who can put me in my place besides Dimitri—which takes serious leadership skills." I countered.

"You're basing my ability to run an entire _nation_ on the fact that I can put _you_ in your place?" Lissa scoffed.

"Lissa, I think we both know it takes either you, Dimitri, or a hostile situation to make me do anything. And sometimes the hostile situation doesn't even work." I said.

Lissa thought for a long moment before speaking. "You really think I can do this?"

"I believe it more than anything at the moment." I nodded.

"If I'm hopelessly humiliated or seriously injured, I blame you." Lissa sighed in resignation.

"Everyone does." I grinned.

Dimitri and Lissa grinned back.


	28. Conflict Resolution

**Chapter 28: Conflict Resolution**

**Rose's POV**

I'd gone to see Kirova so she knew I was okay—we were "officially" supposed to be at Court with the rest of the Academy—and she'd sent me to the school counselor. I was sitting across from Deirdre, finally on a stereotypical therapy couch.

"I still don't understand why I have to see you. No offense, but we're at Court, and you're the Academy's counselor." I stared up at the ceiling.

"Because you're supposed to be here with the Academy, and I'm the only therapist who will see you for free." Deirdre said.

"But my issues aren't exactly the teenage issues you typically deal with." I pointed out.

"I trained for the weirdest of weird issues before I settled into a school counselor position. I may not fully comprehend all your problems, but I'll have a general understanding." Deirdre assured me.

I decided to play into her whims and just talk about my life. I explained my recently repaired mommy issues, finding out Abe was my dad, and my friendship with Lissa. I even talked about my friendship with Christian and how I thought Tasha would've effected it. I also explained my relationship with Dimitri, how I went to Russia for him, and how I felt like I belonged with his family.

"So, what's your diagnosis?" I asked.

"You mean you want me to tell you what I think as a professional." Deirdre corrected.

"Yes. Tell me your professional opinion." I said.

"I think you have a healthy relationship with your parents. Sometimes dysfunction is what makes you normal, and you seem to have repaired any problems in your relationship with them." Deirdre said.

"And?" I prodded.

"Your friendship with Vasilissa is perfectly normal. As long as you put effort into your friendship, you can be friends for life. The same goes for Christian. You two seem to have a normal and friendly rivalry and you can put aside your own needs when necessary. Even his aunt's rivalry with you shouldn't effect anything as long as he cares about his friendship with you and maintains the idea that she's an unfit parental guardian." Deirdre added.

I sighed. "And Dimitri? Come on, I know you of all people should have something to say about our student teacher relationship and every other complicated aspect of our relationship."

Deirdre smirked in amusement. "Honestly? You two seem like a perfectly normal couple. I don't condone the idea of a student teacher relationship, but what you two have is beyond that. The fact that Dimitri was constantly restraining himself from being with you because he respected student teacher boundaries says a lot. You two may not have started under conventional means, but you aren't together for the same reason most student teacher relationships are. You two are both mature people who love each other as equals, not fools blinded by lust. Your maturity was evidenced when you offered to give him up if it meant him being happy. And you two's love for each other is evidenced by the fact that you've stuck together through thick and thin, for the right reasons, and you went all the way to Russia to save his soul. You're also both at the age of consent, which means as long as you and your parents don't press statutory rape charges for what happened while you were seventeen, you'll be perfectly fine."

My jaw dropped. "Your saying... my relationship with Dimitri is normal?"

"Perfectly normal." Deirdre nodded. "You two have a serious relationship that I can see lasting long term if you maintain it correctly."

"And the fact that I felt more accepted in Russia?" I asked.

"You felt accepted because they accepted you. You could feel just as accepted here if everyone learned to show it better. But not everyone here is going to accept you. After all, the people of Baia are a 'bloodwhore' community. They view all kinds of relationships as normal." Deirdre shrugged.

"Okay... thanks for listening to me." I said.

I stood up to leave but Deirdre stopped me. "Rose?"

I turned around. "Yeah?"

"Tell Christian to come and see me. And tell me what's actually bothering you the next time we talk. As happy as I am to clear up your everyday issues, I'd like to get to the root of what Kirova actually sent you for." Deirdre smiled.

I shot her a smirk. "You got me there."

As I found my friends, Lissa scrutinized me. "What's up with you? You look happy, which is unusual after you see Deirdre."

I laughed. "Actually, she helped clear up some major issues. At least, I thought they were major. And she wants to see Christian."

"Why me?" Christian asked.

"I mentioned our friendship, and since we were working through my issues, it was kind of hard not to talk about Tasha. I think she wants to see if she can help with your issues with Tasha." I shrugged.

"If her solution involves me kissing Adrian for therapeutic purposes, I don't think I want to go." Christian scoffed.

"Huh?" I asked.

"Remember that day I found you kissing Adrian? You said it was part of your therapy." Christian reminded me.

"Oh, right. Then you asked what the hell kind of therapy I was in." I smirked. "Yeah, she didn't tell me to do that. She mentioned something about how maybe I wasn't really in love with the guy I mentioned—a.k.a. Dimitri—and I wanted to prove her wrong. I had Adrian compel me into kissing him to prove synthetic love wasn't the same as what I felt for Dimitri. I was right."

"As fucked up as that is in one sense, in another it's actually smart." Christian admitted.

"Duh. Now go see Deirdre." I said.

Christian sighed and took off.

"What issues did she work through?" Dimitri asked.

"All my relationships are normal according to her. Including ours." I gave him a kiss.

"She thinks you're normal?" Lissa scoffed.

"I know. Weird, right?" I teased. "Even I don't think I'm normal."

"You're not." Lissa smirked. "But on the other hand, neither am I."

I was going to laugh at her comment, but then I saw Tasha and my smile completely disappeared. She noticed me and suddenly sped up, trying to avoid me.

"Hey, bitch!" I called out as if it were a nickname.

Tasha turned and glared at me. "That's the pot calling the kettle black."

"You attacked me." I shrugged.

"You bit me!" She exclaimed.

"You compelled my boyfriend." I scoffed.

"He didn't need much compelling. You're an inexperienced teenage girl, I'm his age. Your immature, I'm grown up. You were just a passing fancy, while I'm the life goal. To put it in your terms, you're a whore." Tasha spewed.

I rushed forward and gripped her shirt collar.

"Rose, don't!" Lissa exclaimed.

"Roza!" Dimitri warned.

"I might not be the same age as you, but that doesn't make me inexperienced and immature. And unfortunately, you could give Dimitri kids while the best I can do is be his companion on whatever his next badass goal is. But I'm not just a passing fancy—which is something that's only temporary. Yeah, I know my adult vocabulary, bitch. I'm also not a whore. The whore is the one who throws herself at him and has to compel him, which is you. All I had to do was break through his emotional barriers before he let me in." I said through clenched teeth. "The only reasons you're still alive are the fact that your Christian's aunt, Dimitri doesn't want me to, and I've been trained not to kill Moroi."

"Why should me being Christian's aunt make a difference to you?" Tasha scoffed.

"Because he's important to Lissa, which makes him important to me. And..." I swallowed my pride. "I actually care about Christian. He grew on me. I think it's mostly the refreshing sarcasm that gets me, but I actually care about his feelings and want him to be happy. I love Christian. In the brotherly sense."

"You don't give a damn about anyone other than yourself." Tasha rolled her eyes.

I shoved her away from me. "I put everyone before myself, so that's a lie. Now leave before I decide to kill you. After all, I do hunt monsters."

"You picked this fight with me!" Tasha exclaimed.

"Tasha, leave." Dimitri said.

Tasha laughed. "You know the most ironic part? I was actually trying to prevent her from killing Moroi when I attacked her. And now she's-"

"Natasha, leave." Dimitri said more firmly. "Now."

Tasha flinched and obeyed Dimitri, scurrying off somewhere. Before I got the chance to say anything else, I was nearly knocked over by a hug from behind.

"Gah!" I exclaimed. "Who-"

I looked behind me to find Christian. He was hugging me as if I were his best friend and looked at me with tear-filled bright blue eyes. He looked emotionally vulnerable.

"Ozera, are you crying?" I whispered in shock.

Christian suddenly released me and wiped his eyes. "No."

"Why did you... why did you hug me?" I was utterly confused. "And why aren't you with Deirdre?"

"I came back halfway to Deirdre's office to tell Lissa something and... I heard what you told Aunt Tasha about me. You actually care about me?" Christian wasn't being snarky or sarcastic for once.

"Well... you're not the most annoying person I know..." I admitted.

Christian suddenly hugged me. I didn't know if I should be terrified or happy. I decided to ignore my confusion and patted him a few times on the back. When he finally released me, Christian didn't speak. He simply turned and walked away.

"What the hell was that?" I blurted.

Lissa smiled brightly. "It means he likes you. He only acts like that when he's around someone he cares about. But he'll probably deny all of this the next time you see him."

"It's okay. I don't think anyone would believe me anyway." I admitted.

"I would have believed you even if I hadn't seen it myself." Dimitri grinned.

"Yeah, but you can tell when I'm lying." I pointed out.

"Exactly." Dimitri smirked. "Which is why I know you were telling the truth when you said you'd be my companion."

"Well..." I blushed.

"I'd make a joke about you two kissing in a tree, but you're much too grown up for that." Lissa smirked.

"Stop copying my sarcasm. It gives me vertigo." I said.

"Why? Because we've switched places?" Lissa teased.

"Yeah, and because your sarcasm is usually different." I elbowed her playfully.

"So... are you too grown up to sneak into the Queen's private spa with me?" Lissa grinned devilishly—which really clashed with her angelic nature.

"Oh, I'm never too old for that." I grinned. "We'll still be doing stuff like that in our eighties. Although I don't think we'll have to sneak in, your majesty."

"Shut up." Lissa elbowed me playfully and headed in the direction of the secret spa.

I laughed and followed her, Dimitri watching us go with an amused smirk.


	29. The First Monarch Test

**Chapter 29: The First Monarch Test**

**Rose's POV**

Lissa and I were sleeping next to each other peacefully. Dimitri was in the other bed in the room, but I'd slept next to Lissa because we hadn't done that in a while. Then our peaceful sleep was shattered by the sounds of movement in the room. As I opened my eyes, I saw a bunch of guardians surrounding our bed and Dimitri's.

"Whatever it is, we didn't do it." I groaned.

"This isn't an arrest. We need Vasilissa to come with us for her first monarch test." Hans said.

"In the middle of the human day?" I scoffed.

"It requires daylight." Hans shrugged. "Now come with us, princess."

"What?" Lissa yawned and rubbed her eyes, reminding me of a sleepy two year old.

"They want you to go take your first monarch test." I prodded her to get up.

"But it's the middle of the night." Lissa whined.

"Liss, wake up." I whacked her with a pillow.

"What was that for?" Lissa sat up and hit me with a pillow.

"It's time for your first monarch test." I repeated.

"Oh." Lissa blushed, noticing the guardians for the first time. "Let me get dressed."

"I suggest shorts and a short sleeved shirt." Hans said.

Lissa got up and scrambled to get her clothes in the bathroom. I got up too, but Hans held up a hand to stop me.

"You're not going. Only candidates for the monarch position are allowed to go." Hans said.

"Why?" I asked suspiciously.

"Because this test is to see if they're physically fit enough to rule. Besides, no one but the candidates are supposed to know what the tests are." Hans sighed.

"Are you saying that fat people can't rule?" I questioned.

"Firstly, have you ever seen a fat Moroi? And secondly, we aren't testing them in some kind of gym. It's kind of like when Dhampirs are tested on whether or not we can protect Moroi." Hans rolled his eyes.

Lissa came out of the bathroom looking ready to take on the world.

I grabbed Hans' shirt collar. "Protect her. Because if she gets hurt, you'll have to deal with me, and I'm a force to be reckoned with."

"As vicious as I'm sure you are, do you really think you could beat me?" Hans scoffed.

"In every sense of the word. When it involves Lissa, I'm lethal to anyone who threatens her. Plus, I was Strigoi for a time, and I was trained by Dimitri. Just the training makes me a lethal weapon, and the Strigoi part makes me more vicious than your average guardian. Besides, Janine Hathaway's also my mother. Even if I'm not the most vicious and deadly guardian in the world, you shouldn't underestimate me." I said.

"Unfortunately, you're right about that." Hans admitted. "But you don't have to worry. This test isn't deadly, and they're unlikely to get bruises or any other form of injury."

"You'd better be telling the truth." I warned.

"Cross my heart and hope to die." Hans rolled his eyes and drew an x over his heart.

"I'll see you later, Rose." Lissa said.

"I'll be with you." I gestured to my head.

Lissa grinned and left with the guardians. I tuned into her thoughts as soon as she left. Dimitri had somehow slept through all that, so he wouldn't be a distraction from the bond. Hans led Lissa to a tattoo parlor and asked her to sit down.

"I have to get a tattoo?" Lissa questioned.

"They'll use ink that ends up fading. It's infused with compulsion, and we use it to make sure you can't talk to anyone about the monarch tests that doesn't already know." Hans said.

Good thing I was getting an insider's look. Lissa would be able to talk to me. The tattooist traced a golden infinity symbol onto Lissa's arm. It was kind of cool, so it almost made me sad to know it would eventually fade. After that was done and she was bandaged, Hans escorted Lissa to a dark car. Including Lissa, about half of the monarch candidates were in the car with her, along with a few guardians.

"Where are the other contestants?" Lissa asked.

"In a second car." Ariana said. "Are you up for whatever they're having us do?"

"I don't even know what we're doing, so that's kind of hard for me to answer." Lissa admitted.

"That's okay. We're all a little nervous." Ariana smiled comfortingly.

God, if Lissa didn't become Queen, I really wanted Ariana to do it. The car drove for a long time, coming to a stop near a wooded area.

"You all get these cell phones so we can come and get you if you decide you can't go on any farther. You also get a compass, a map, and a backpack. The riddled items on the map are to help you on your way, but you don't necessarily need them. Anyone who makes it to the clearing at the end gets to advance to the next round of testing. Got it?" Hans instructed.

The candidates all nodded their heads. Lissa was nervous, but she was determined to do this. They were each sent into the woods on a slightly different path, depending on what their map dictated.

"What's going on?" Dimitri yawned. "Where's Lissa?"

"She's doing her first monarch test, and I'm watching." I said.

"The tests are supposed to be a secret." Dimitri said.

"Yeah, but we have a bond. Besides, who am I going to tell? The only people I might consider telling are you and Christian." I pointed out.

Dimitri looked nervous for a second before asking, "Will you tell me what's happening? As if you're narrating it?"

I grinned and patted the spot next to me on the bed. "Sit with me, Comrade."

I ended up narrating as I watched Lissa. Although, there wasn't much to narrate for a while. It was mostly just Lissa walking through the woods. She started to feel dehydrated after a while.

"Liss." I reached out through our reversed bond. "I can hear a river running somewhere in the background. Most rivers have fresh water that you can safely drink from. Find it and get a drink."

"How am I going to find it?" Lissa asked herself out loud.

"Follow the sound of running water." I advised.

"How do you even know that rivers carry drinkable water?" Lissa questioned as she walked towards the sound of the river.

"Guardians have to take classes on survival. We're supposed to be prepared for every situation." I said.

Lissa pushed through some bushes and found a small stream with water rushing by. She cupped her hands and took a drink. "Ugh, thank God."

"Don't forget to thank Rose." I reminded her.

"Thank you, Rose." Lissa snorted. "It's too bad I can't take the river with me."

"Find something to store water in." I suggested.

Lissa took a quick glance around and paused when she noticed a canteen just a few yards away. "Do you think this is a coincidence?"

"Well, either God's really on your side today, or the guardians figured someone smart would find the river and need water to continue." I shrugged.

"But you're the smart one. I'm just following your directions." Lissa frowned.

"Hey, you're still smart. Besides, now you know what to do if you ever run into this problem again and don't have me." I pointed out.

"The day I don't have you is the day I die." Lissa said as she filled the canteen.

"No, it's just the day that Dimitri takes over my job." I said.

"What if he goes first?" Lissa countered.

"Then Christian can protect you with his firepower. And don't ask me what happens if Christian goes first." I rolled my eyes.

Lissa sighed and continued walking, starting up conversation with me every once in a while so she wouldn't feel bored or lonely.

"It's strange to witness you communicate with her." Dimitri said.

"Trust me, you have no idea." I snorted.

Lissa found a few things that were riddled on the map—including the canteen—on her way through the woods.

"Should I make an _Into the Woods_ joke to make you feel better?" I teased.

Lissa smirked. "The way is clear, the light is good, I have no fear, nor no one should."

"We need to watch that again later." I said.

"We should." Lissa agreed.

Then our joke was proven wrong. The way became unclear and we lost the light as a rain storm suddenly came on.

"Shit!" Lissa exclaimed as she ran for cover under a tree.

"Liss, it's okay. Just keep moving so you can get to the clearing. You'll get wet, and maybe you'll get a cold in the next few days, but it's worth it to finish." I encouraged.

Lissa took my advice and started running. That only resulted in her falling in the mud, so she went back to a fastwalking pace. After a while lightning started flashing in the sky above. The sounds of thunder and flashes of lightning kept getting closer.

"Liss, take cover! You need to duck!" I exclaimed.

Lissa wrongly took that to mean that she should hug a tree. That was the worst decision she could make, because the tree was suddenly electrified. Lissa was jolted backward and had a fit of seizures. I felt the same thing.

"Roza!" Dimitri exclaimed.

Then I wasn't in my body and Lissa wasn't in hers. I sat up and gasped, seeing the forest around me. I could feel it. I wasn't feeling it through Lissa, it was firsthand. I even lifted my hand and saw only Lissa's pale hand and felt her blonde halo of hair framing my face. I reached through the bond and found Lissa in my body, still having a seizure.

"Roza!" Dimitri tried to shake me out of it.

"No!" I exclaimed, hearing myself as Lissa. "God damn it Lissa, don't you dare die on me! I don't even care if we spend the rest of our lives in each other's bodies! Just live!"

Lissa was still seizing, unable to comply with my commands. I didn't know what I was doing, but I tried to send a burst of Lissa's Spirit magic into my body so she could live. I suddenly felt woozy and a sense of vertigo overcame me as I reentered my own body, looking up at a worried Dimitri. Then I passed out into blackness.


	30. Best Friends Forever

**Chapter 30: Best Friends Forever**

**Rose's POV**

I woke up with Dimitri leaning over me, holding a wet washcloth to my head. I sat bolt upright. "How long have I been out?!"

Dimitri held his hand to my chest and slowly forced me back down. "Only for five minutes. By God Roza, what happened?"

"Lissa was struck with lightning." I waved off his concern.

I reached through the bond and found Lissa breathing heavily, sobbing as she walked.

"Liss, are you okay?" I asked.

"I almost died. You almost died." Lissa heaved. "You told me to duck for cover."

"Yeah, the operative word being duck. Lightning strikes the tallest things. I wanted you to duck into a ball." I said.

"Then say that next time." Lissa sobbed.

"Just find the clearing and come back to me." I encouraged.

Lissa sobbed and sniffled as she headed through the woods. She finally made it to a clearing and I could see Hans waiting outside one of the cars. When Lissa reached him, he frowned.

"Princess, what's wrong?" Hans asked.

"I... I got struck by lightning." Lissa gripped a streak of hair that had turned whitish grey.

"How are you still alive?" Hans questioned.

"Rose saved me... with Spirit." Lissa admitted.

Lissa explained everything she knew to him as they waited for the other candidates to finish. Lissa had been the first to come out. Lissa strategically left out the part about me advising her and keeping her company. She made it sound as if the only time I'd checked on her was after she was struck by lightning.

"To be honest, I don't know much about Spirit, and I'd willingly take your word for it." Hans admitted. "I apologize for your injury, princess."

He should've done more than apologize, but I'd deal with his punishment when he got back.

The other candidates were slowly walking or being brought out of the forest. About half of the candidates hadn't made it and decided to hide from the winners by grouping in the second car. The winners got into the car Lissa had been waiting in. She'd been too afraid to stay outside with the rain still coming down.

"I heard you were the first to make it back, Vasilissa. Great job." Ariana praised as she got in the car.

Lissa nodded her head numbly. "Thank you."

"Are you okay?" Ariana scooted next to Lissa.

Lissa relaunched into her story about the lightning for all of the winners as they drove back to Court—one of whom, was unfortunately Tasha. They were all staring at her in utter astonishment, hanging onto her every word. When the cars finally got back to Court, I was waiting for Lissa and she sprang out of the car. She hugged me as tightly as possible.

"I never want to do anything without you again." Lissa buried her face in my chest—which was quite a feat with our height difference.

"You'll never have to." I promised.

"What am I, chopped liver?" Christian scoffed.

I'd told him what happened and had him wait with Dimitri and I. Lissa released me and kissed him passionately. I giggled for a second before remembering my task with Hans. I walked straight up to him and punched him in the face.

"Hathaway!" Hans exclaimed, holding his jaw.

"Don't you Hathaway me! You put my Moroi in danger and lied to me about the risks! You guys had to have checked the weather before this test, so you knew there'd be rain! If there's ever even the slightest chance of lightning, you shouldn't send a Moroi out there! I'm going with her the next time there's a dangerous activity, regardless of whether or not it's a secret monarch test! Tattoo me if you have to!" I exclaimed.

"How do you know about the tattoo?" Hans asked suspiciously.

"Lissa was thinking about it on the way back, and I didn't leave her mind after she was struck by the lightning." I half-lied.

Hans gave me a look I couldn't quite interpret before going back to his regular expression. "The rest of the monarch tests don't involve physical activity. They're mental and emotional tests. You no longer have to worry about your Moroi's life."

"If I find out you're lying, I'll kill you myself." I threatened.

"Dually noted." Hans nodded. "And may I ask, why do you have a grey streak of hair similar to Vasilissa's?"

I gripped a streak of hair that indeed matched Lissa's.

"She got that around the same time Lissa did. It's like it was somehow sent through the bond. Stress causes grey hair, and Rose feels what Lissa feels. I'd say being struck by lightning would cause stress." Dimitri shrugged.

"Why didn't you mention this earlier?" I questioned.

"You're health was more important to me than a little grey hair." Dimitri shrugged.

"We match now." Lissa perked up.

"If you use the word twinners, I swear I'll kill you." I rolled my eyes.

"Right, because you of all people would kill me." Lissa scoffed.

"Maybe I would." I joked.

"And I'd eternally haunt you." Lissa teased.

"These are horrible jokes." Dimitri said.

"Better to joke about it than do it." Christian shrugged.

Jill suddenly ran up, looking panic stricken. "Guys, something horrible's happened!"

"If you say you're pregnant, I'm going to kill you and Eddie both." I teased.

"And I'll hide the bodies." Lissa continued our dark humor.

"Guys, I'm serious." Jill ignored our teasing. "Sydney went missing this morning and Adrian's compulsively using Spirit to find her."

That sobered us and caught our attention. We followed Jill to fin Adrian looking disheveled and meditating, probably trying to conjure a Spirit dream.

"Adrian, I don't know if that will work. What if she's awake?" Jill prodded.

"But I have to find her, I just have to. I have to..." Adrian sounded frantic.

He was probably being affected by Spirit just as much as he was Sydney's disappearance. I was starting to believe he really did love her. Poor guy.

"Adrian, you need to stop. I promise we'll help you find her, but using this much Spirit isn't going to help, especially if she's awake. Please stop." I said.

Adrian looked at me with the saddest and most sober expression I'd ever seen him use. "Please help me find her. Please..."

Adrian started to curl in a ball to cry and I hugged him close to me in an effort to comfort him. He let me and sobbed into my shirt. I liked Sydney and hated seeing Adrian this way. I had to help him find her.


	31. Fear

**Chapter 31: Fear**

**Rose's POV**

I'd somehow convinced Adrian to go to sleep the night before and the rest of us had reluctantly gone to sleep as well. Thinking about all the possible causes of Sydney's disappearance had kept me up at least a few hours after I'd gone to bed. But when I woke up the next morning, my priorities shifted a little.

Lissa was once again awakened by the guardians, but not quite so forcefully this time. I kept a watchful eye on her through the bond as she walked with them to a strange building here at Court. She went through to a room where an old woman was waiting for her with a chalice.

"Hello." Lissa smiled politely as she sat down.

"Dragomirs. Always polite. You remind me a lot of your grandfather." The old woman said.

Lissa felt startled but was very good at hiding it. "You know who I am, but who are you?"

The old woman grinned—she had an incisor missing. "Ekaterina Zeklos."

"That name sounds familiar..." Lissa pondered for a second before her eyes widened in shock. "You were the Queen before Tatiana."

"I was. And as much as I'd like to have mindless chitchat with you, I'm here to administer your test." Ekaterina smirked.

There was a mischievous twinkle in her eye that Lissa and I admired, especially for someone who had to be over a hundred years old.

"Right. What is the test?" Lissa asked.

"Drink from the chalice. And just say stop if things get to be too much, dear. The test will stop immediately if you do." Ekaterina advised and held out the chalice.

Lissa reached out for the chalice and immediately felt the hum of Spirit running through it. Maybe Spirit had once been common after all. As she drank from it, she didn't feel much different. "Why would I need to say stop? Nothing-"

Lissa was cut off and felt like she was being transported somewhere else. She was back at the Academy, everything seeming perfectly normal. I was there too and passed her by as I laughed at something Mia said.

"Rose?" Lissa said.

The me she was seeing turned and looked at her in confusion. "Princess? You're talking to me?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Lissa laughed.

"Because all you ever do is hang out with your boyfriend and I'm just a random Dhampir." The other me looked really confused.

"Rose, we're best friends. You've never been just a random Dhampir to me." Lissa insisted.

"No, Mia's my best friend. I barely even know you." The other me said.

"We've been best friends since we were five! You nicknamed me Lissa!" Lissa exclaimed.

"I tried sitting with you on my first day of school, but you turned me away and said you were a princess, and princesses don't hang out with Dhampirs. And I don't think anyone's ever called you anything other than Vasilissa." The other me looked over at a confused Mia. "I've got to go. Bye."

"Rose, wait!" Lissa called out for the other me frantically.

She felt utterly alone and confused, and I couldn't talk to her through the reversed bond for some reason. Then realization dawned on her.

"I'm in some kind of Spirit dream. Rose would never be friends with Mia. And I sure as hell wouldn't have been that stuck up." Lissa said.

"Guess who." A familiar voice said as Lissa's eyes were covered.

"Christian?" Lissa guessed.

"Who's Christian?" Aaron took his hands off of Lissa's eyes.

As if on cue, Christian walked by peppily. He looked as smiley as he had when he and Lissa had started dating.

"Aaron, I have to go talk to a friend, okay?" Lissa played along with the Spirit dream.

"Okay." Aaron said with confusion. "Just be sure to come back so we can go on our date."

Then Aaron kissed her. It took a lot of restraint for Lissa not to push him away and say she loved Christian. After Aaron released her, she ran up to Christian.

"Christian?" Lissa said.

"Princess?" Christian arched an eyebrow.

"Do you know me? Aside from reputation?" Lissa asked.

Christian looked confused. "We've never talked before today."

"You're my boyfriend, Christian." Lissa insisted.

"I have a girlfriend, but I'm pretty sure she's the exact opposite of you." Christian said.

Lissa suddenly rushed forward and kissed him. He seemed to like it, but the two of them didn't have a chance to do anything else before Christian's Spirit dream girlfriend showed up.

"What the hell are you doing with my boyfriend?!" The other me exclaimed.

Oh God, this was definitely just a dream. I'd never date Christian in a million years. Even if he was sarcastic, respectful of women, and kind of hot. You know what, just ignore that last one.

"Why would you date Christian?" Lissa giggled like this was the funniest moment of her life rather than a horrifying nightmare.

"Because we have similar interests, he's nice, and he's hot. Besides, he was never able to get you to like him no matter how hard he tried and I felt bad for him." The other me admitted. "Now get the fuck away from him!"

Okay, maybe I could see myself dating Christian if Lissa hadn't had him first and I hadn't had Dimitri. Maybe.

Lissa giggled and the dream suddenly shifted, probably realizing she wasn't that afraid of the idea of Christian and I dating. Now we were in what looked like a mental ward and Lissa was viewing a patient through a glass window. That patient was me, wearing a straightjacket and banging against padded walls.

"Do we really have to do this?" It was like Lissa had forgotten this was a dream.

"I'm sorry, but she's a danger to herself and others. She's absorbed too much of your Spirit darkness for too long. She's already murdered Ralf, Jesse Zeklos, and Victor Dashkov. Plus, she thinks she's a Strigoi and even bit her own mother. We have to keep her here." A Moroi doctor insisted. "But since her mother is unavailable and we don't know who her father is, we'll need you to give us the go ahead."

Lissa looked at crazy me sympathetically and was about ready to say stop. Then she remembered that this was a Spirit dream. "Okay, fine. Keep her here as long as she needs to be."

I knew Lissa would never really put me in a mental ward, but that dream still kind of freaked me out.

The dream suddenly shifted to a dark room. Lissa was tied to a chair, feeling weak and powerless. A door suddenly opened and I realized that this was a basement. Footsteps thudded down the stairs until we finally saw... Victor.

"My disease is acting up again, Vasilissa. I'll need you to heal me." Victor said.

"But I don't know if I can even muster up the strength to heal you. Please Victor, just send me home. I promise I won't tell anyone." Lissa begged.

"Kenneth!" Victor called upstairs. "Convince Vasilissa to help me."

Kenneth, Victor's air user henchman, came downstairs and started torturing Lissa with his power. Lissa screamed in agony and I felt all of it and screamed too.

"Roza!" Dimitri tried to shake me out of it.

But he couldn't help. I felt what Lissa felt, and right now, she was feeling pure agony. She and I both screamed our lungs out.

"Please Victor, please don't hurt me anymore. Please." Lissa pleaded.

"Heal me." Victor said.

"I can't." Lissa sobbed.

"Again." Victor told Kenneth.

Kenneth used air against Lissa again and we both screamed in pain.

"Vasilissa, all you have to do is say stop and heal me." Victor prodded.

It was then that we both realized Lissa would have to endure her torture until the dream changed.

"No." Lissa said bravely.

"Again." Victor said.

Kenneth seemed to use the full force of his power against Lissa now. She and I screamed in a way neither of us could recognize. We'd never felt this much pain before. Then the dream shifted to something else and the feeling of normalcy we got was almost soothing.

"Roza?" Dimitri prodded.

"I'm fine. It was just part of Lissa's second monarch test." I said.

The scene we'd shifted to was the courtroom where most Moroi business was conducted. The tapestries of all twelve royal families hung from the ceiling, but the Dragomir tapestry was being taken down.

"What are you doing?!" Lissa exclaimed.

"Taking down the Dragomir tapestry. You're unworthy of your family's name and your sister is a lowly halfbreed. The Dragomir line has ended." The man taking down the Dragomir tapestry said.

"No!" Lissa exclaimed, catching the tapestry before it could touch the ground. "I am worthy! I'm Vasilissa Dragomir!"

Then the dream shifted again. Lissa was lying on a bed, bloody bite marks on her neck. She looked as high as any feeder. Then the person who was feeding off her came in. It was me as a Strigoi.

"Rose..." Lissa moaned.

"Time for another feeding, Liss." Strigoi me bit into her neck.

Lissa seemed pleased to let me feed off of her. I was starting to wonder if this was her fear or a sick fantasy that even I wasn't supposed to know about. The other me stopped feeding on her and got up to leave.

"No, Rose. Don't go." Lissa weakly tried to grab my arm.

The other me grinned wickedly. "You have two options. Say stop and let me feed on you until there's nothing left, or stake me with this."

The other me was holding a silver stake with a cloth. She handed it over to Lissa and helped her aim at her chest.

"Choose, Lissa. Say stop and let me feed on you, or stake me." The other me said.

Lissa was tempted to stay in her high and let the other me feed on her, but then she remembered that this was just a dream. She looked up into my eyes with hesitation.

"Don't hesitate." The other me used Dimitri's words of advice.

Lissa firmed her grip on the stake. "I will always love you." Then she staked me.

The other me's lips parted and she fell backwards. Then we were suddenly in another dream.

"How many Spirit dreams do we need before you finish?" I voiced my thoughts.

"Spirit dreams?" Dimitri arched an eyebrow. "What kind of test is this?"

"Shh." I put my finger on his lips and focused on Lissa.

I wasn't in this dream. Lissa was in the church's attic at the Academy, thinking she was waiting for Christian. He finally showed up and didn't look happy.

"Lissa, we need to talk." Christian said.

"That's a sentence no one ever wants to hear." Lissa's nervousness spiked.

Christian sighed. "Look, this isn't working. We're not working. I don't want to admit it, but I have to. We're too different."

"Christian, we've been over this. You and I are about as different as salt water and fresh water. One just has more seasoning—a.k.a. your sarcasm. Even Rose and I work well as friends, and we're total opposites!" Lissa sighed.

"Liss, you go to parties and socialize with people. I only go because you want me to, and have little to no socialization—and when I do, I accidentally insult people! Plus, you're the Moroi Queen. I'm just an outcast who can only call himself royal because of tainted blood." Christian explained.

"Oh Christian, you aren't your parents! And I don't care if you don't socialize. You mean more to me than a stupid status. Besides, opposites attract anyway!" Lissa insisted.

"Lissa, I don't want to drag you down with me. I love you, and that's why I have to let you go." Christian turned to walk away.

Lissa grabbed him and spun him around to face her. "Don't you _dare_ use that damned cliche on me! You will _not_ abandon me! I _need_ you!"

"You _need_ me to leave you. I know you won't compel me, so you only have two choices. You can either let me go, or tell me to stop and stay with you." Christian stroked Lissa's cheek.

Tears were streaming down Lissa's face worse than they ever had. I knew firsthand how much she loved him. That was why it was so important to me that he stay with her. But this dream couldn't go the same way, and we both knew it.

Lissa kissed Christian goodbye. "I'll never stop loving you."

Christian smiled bitterly and turned to walk away. "Neither will I."

Just as Christian disappeared down the stairs, Lissa's Spirit dream shifted back to reality. Ekaterina was sitting in front of Lissa again.

"Is this real? Is the dream over?" Lissa sniffled.

"It is, dear." Ekaterina confirmed. "Wipe your eyes and go out the door behind me. Only losers go back through the door they came in."

"Thank you, your majesty." Lissa nodded and stood to leave.

"Just Ekaterina." Ekaterina corrected.

"Thank you, Ekaterina." Lissa said.

Ekaterina smiled. "I've always loved the Dragomir politeness."

Lissa came out the door and everyone cheered. Lissa smiled happily. She knew then that she really did want to be Queen. But she'd drop it like a hot potato if it meant keeping Christian. I was okay with that.


	32. Sydney

**Chapter 32: Sydney**

**Rose's POV**

After Lissa got back from her second monarch test, we decided to look more into Sydney's disappearance.

"Where exactly did you last see her?" I asked.

Adrian had only just woken up, but he was already alert and ready to do anything for Sydney. "We were walking back from a coffee shop, and Sydney forgot something. I offered to go with her, but she said it was fine and I should just wait for her here."

"Show us which coffee shop." I said.

Adrian took Lissa, Christian, Eddie, Jill, Dimitri, and I to the coffee shop he and Sydney had been at.

"Now show us what path you used to get back to guest housing. Be as accurate as possible." I told him.

Adrian retraced his steps to show us where he and Sydney had departed. I found something close to where he said they'd separated. Sydney's car keys. Sydney may have been forced to leave her car in Russia, but I knew she'd never trust someone else with it or leave her keys behind.

"These are Sydney's car keys. I remember from Russia how much she loved her car, so she wouldn't just leave these." I dangled the keys.

Adrian looked panicky, but he was still keeping himself together. "What do we do now?"

"There's a camera just up there." Eddie pointed to one of the buildings.

I recognized the royal security camera and noticed that it was pointing towards where the keys were. "We need that footage."

"We could ask the council. They have access to everything, and they'd probably help us." Lissa suggested.

"They don't care about Sydney. They won't understand our interest in finding her. The only person who was royalty that we could've used was Tatiana, and now she's gone. We need to figure out where the footage for this camera is stored and retrieve it." I insisted.

"It looks like it's just one of those old security cameras where it has a tape inside the camera itself." Jill said.

We looked up and realized she was right.

"You're a lot smarter than people give you credit for." I said.

"I could say the same about you." Jill teased.

"Now all you have to do is figure out how you're getting up there." Dimitri said.

He was right. The camera was at least twenty feet above us.

"No need. I can get it down without us ever having to go up there." Adrian said.

"How?" Christian scoffed.

Adrian moved his hand a certain way and the camera opened up. Adrian moved his hand again and the tape flew straight into his hands.

"How did you do that?" I asked, dumbfounded.

"Telekinesis." Adrian shrugged.

"Since when do you have telekinesis?!" Lissa exclaimed. "And why didn't you teach me?!"

"I don't know how to teach it. I'm not even sure of how it works. Besides, I try to keep it low key. It's one of my most draining powers, even compared to a Spirit dream." Adrian sighed. "Now lets see what's on this tape."

We brought it back to Adrian's place and put it in the VCR. After fast-forwarding through hours worth of meaningless footage, we finally saw Adrian and Sydney. Just as Adrian had said, he and Sydney parted ways and she turned back to the coffee shop. But as soon as Adrian was out of sight, someone came up behind Sydney and covered her mouth. A few other guys came to her front and carried her. I didn't know who they were at first, but then I saw the tattoos. These were Alchemists!

"I'm going to kill those bastards!" Adrian exclaimed.

"Adrian, calm down. We have to take steps to find her and bring her home safely." I said.

"You'll have a pretty hard time finding her." A familiar voice said.

I spun around and glared. "Marcus, I don't have time for... wait, what are you doing here?"

Marcus grinned. "I told you I knew about vampires."

"Well yeah, but..." I fumbled for words.

"Who are you?" Lissa asked.

"Marcus Finch, ex-Alchemist. And coincidentally, Rose's ex-boyfriend." Marcus held out his hand.

"Ex-boyfriend?" Lissa questioned. "Rose, I thought Sydney was the first Alchemist you'd ever met? And when did you date him?"

I sighed. "Liss, he doesn't even have an Alchemist tattoo, and he didn't exactly tell me before now. And... I dated a little while we were running from the Academy."

"I knew it!" Lissa exclaimed.

"My Alchemist tattoo is just concealed by the one I put over it. See for yourself." Marcus gestured to his tattoo.

Upon further examination, it did look like a golden lily was being hidden under there, but it was faded.

"What are you doing here, Marcus?" I asked.

"I'm here to help you find Sydney. I haven't met her yet, but the rumors that are spreading about her since yesterday are pretty intriguing." Marcus said.

"What rumors?" Adrian questioned.

"That the reason she was sent to reeducation is because she fell in love with a vampire. That's a pretty big deal in the Alchemist community, and I still have Alchemist contacts." Marcus shrugged.

"Do you know where she is?" Adrian took a threatening step closer to Marcus.

Marcus took a step back. "No, but I have some ideas. For one thing, they wouldn't send her out of the country. There have to be people she can relate to in there so she can measure her progress toward reeducation with theirs. For another, they'll probably try to get her as far away from you as possible. That means she'll probably be on the west coast. And there's only supposed to be one Alchemist reeducation center per country. That should hopefully narrow down the list of candidates that my informant is collecting."

"Why are you doing this, Marcus? Why do you want to help?" I asked.

"Because I'm a rebel Alchemist." Marcus smirked. Then he sobered himself. "And because I've heard of horrible things they do to Alchemists in reeducation. Getting at least one out of that situation would mean a lot, and you're the only vampires who have the resources to pull this off."

Marcus' phone buzzed and he checked it. He grinned like a madman.

"What does it say?" I asked.

"We narrowed down the reeducation center perfectly. They found the location and they're going to send me a map of the facility." Marcus smiled.

Within an hour we'd talked Ariana into letting us use the royal jet. But she had one condition. We had to take my parents.

"Why didn't you explain what we were doing to Ariana?" Mom questioned.

"Because we didn't have to. Besides, she wouldn't have understood how much it meant to us to break into an Alchemist facility to save our human friend." I said.

Mom looked like she was going to protest, but then she sighed in defeat. "Yeah, she probably wouldn't have. We were lucky to be pardoned by Tatiana for breaking Victor out of prison."

"You broke someone out of prison?" Marcus smirked.

"Yeah, the most high security Moroi prison. Tarasov." I bragged.

"I'm impressed, Rose. You've really outdone yourself." Marcus complimented.

"I could've done better. For being such a high security prison, it was a pretty easy nut to crack. Three teenagers broke in and busted out a high security inmate all while concealing our identities." I scoffed.

"You were a Strigoi at the time." Lissa pointed out.

"That's not the point." I elbowed her.

When we landed just outside of Death Valley, we immediately got into a van Marcus had rented and drove to the Alchemist facility.

"Are you sure you don't want me to call in my cavalry of Alchemists? They could come in handy." Marcus offered.

"We'll do just fine with our group." I insisted. "Dimitri's a badass God, Eddie, Mom, and I are badass guardians, Christian's a badass fire user, Abe's a badass criminal mastermind, and Lissa and Adrian are our badass Spirit users. We're unstoppable."

"Do you want to use the word badass one more time? I don't think you used it enough." Marcus teased.

"Badass." I said.

"And what am I in this group?" Marcus asked.

"Our map guy." I said.

"What, no badass?" Marcus arched an eyebrow.

"Nope. You haven't earned that title yet." I teased.

When we reached the Alchemist facility, Lissa and Adrian put the final touches on our disguises. We had a bunch of charmed silver items and wore wigs for effect.

"Rose, that red wig is only going to lead them back to me. It looks like my hair, and we have the same facial structure." Mom pointed out.

"Actually, I look more like Abe. Besides, our faces are concealed by the Spirit." I shrugged.

Mom shook her head, but she got out without further protest. She'd gotten us weapons before we left, so I was aptly prepared to shoot anyone who crossed the line. I think Adrian wanted to shoot people period.

"What can I do for you?" The woman at the desk asked.

Our faces were supposed to look like Alchemists.

"We need to check security. We're inspectors." Marcus flashed a fake badge.

"Well, we weren't scheduled until next week, but the sooner the better." The lady pressed a button that unlocked a door.

"Thank you, ma'am." Marcus grinned.

We walked through the door and found a security area.

"See? Everyone's stupid whenever I break in anywhere." I whispered.

"People in general are just stupid." Marcus smirked.

"What are you doing in here?" A guard asked.

"We've come to check your security." Marcus said.

"That's not until next week." The guard said suspiciously.

"We came early. This week's appointments were cancelled." Marcus shrugged.

The security guard mumbled an okay and we checked all of the security. Cameras. Off. Knockout gas? Off. After we'd turned all the important stuff off, we knocked the security guards out. Stupid people. After having Eddie secure the security guards by tying them to their chairs.

"Shouldn't we turn the security cameras on long enough to find Sydney?" I asked.

"The Alchemists will notice if we turn them on and off. Besides, we can just sweep the facility and release everyone instead of just Sydney." Marcus said.

We set out to do exactly that and most of my friends started heading to the lower levels. Adrian and I stayed behind and checked the first floor. Ironically, that's where we found Sydney. She didn't look too horrible, but she was naked and cold when we found her in one of the dark cells on the first floor.

"What the hell were they subjecting you to?!" I exclaimed.

"They... um, they said my soul was in a dark place and they'd bring me into the light whenever I was ready to admit my sins." Sydney said.

"And you called me an evil creature of the night." I shook my head. "They're worse."

Sydney looked down and tried covering herself. I think she was embarrassed to be naked in front of us.

I put my jacket around her and pulled her closer to me. "You can wear my jacket until we find you clothes, but you don't have to be embarrassed. We're both girls, and Adrian isn't a pervert."

Sydney twitched a smile. "That's not what I was worried about. Modesty is kind of one of my moral values."

"I can respect that, but we aren't going to gawk at you." I told her.

"I'm just glad we found you." Adrian pulled Sydney into a hug.

Sydney still seemed a little uncomfortable being naked under my jacket, but she relaxed into Adrian's hug.

"Let's get you back to the van. You should be safe now." I said.

After subduing the lady at the desk, we took Sydney back to the van and Adrian said he wanted to stay with her. I was fine with leaving them alone together. I headed back into the facility to help with the other inmates. I unfortunately didn't get to kick anyone else's ass, but I did get to prod the detainees outside. They seemed grateful to be in the sunshine. I couldn't blame them.

"You found Chantal!" One guy exclaimed.

"Duncan!" The girl seemed excited as she hugged him.

"She was receiving worse torture than the rest of you." Marcus shuddered. "So, where's Sydney?"

"She's in the van with Adrian. How are we going to fit all of these people in the van? And are we going to smuggle them back into Court?" I questioned.

"I called in my team of Alchemists. They'll take the detainees into hiding from the Alchemists." Marcus said.

"Marcus, you have a band of Merry Men?" Adrian poked his head out of the van.

"Something like that." Marcus smirked.

Just then, a set of vans drove up. I thought it was the Alchemists and that we'd have to fight, but it turned out to just be Marcus' Merry Men.

"Well, I have to go with them, but I expect to be able to visit the intriguing Sydney Sage." Marcus said.

"Only if she wants to." I said.

"'Till we meet again, Rose." Marcus kissed me..

"Asshole." I pushed him away, blushing.

Marcus grinned and got in one of the vans.

"He really gets under your skin, doesn't he?" Lissa smiled.

"I don't want to talk about it." I said.

"Are you sure?" Lissa gave me a sideways glance.

I sighed. "Liss, I don't like Marcus. And even if I did, I love Dimitri _way_ more."

Dimitri seemed a little jealous of Marcus, but he grinned at my words. "I love you, too."

Then we rode of into the sunset with the van. And then we flew back to Court.


	33. Sins of the Father

**Chapter 33: Sins of the Father**

**Rose's POV**

After we found Sydney, she didn't seem to want to leave Adrian's side. The only times she did were to get dressed and go to the bathroom. But we didn't get to focus on that too much as we got back to Court. Ariana was waiting for us at the landing strip, her arms crossed.

"Hey, Ariana. Thanks for letting us borrow the jet." I said nonchalantly.

"Cut the crap, Rose." Ariana sighed. "It was you guys, wasn't it?"

"I get blamed for a lot of things, so you'll have to specify." I said.

"You broke into an Alchemist facility and abducted one of their people." Ariana said. "Is that specific enough?"

"Abducted? _They_ abducted her! We _saved_ her! They came into Court and took her by force, even though Tatiana promised Adrian she could stay here." I scoffed.

Ariana sighed. "Is that true, Miss Sage?"

Sydney nodded. "I was staying here and the Queen said she'd hide me. The Alchemists came and abducted me."

"We have video evidence of them abducting her." Adrian added.

"The Alchemists are here to bring Sydney back. You'll need that video." Ariana said.

"But you believe us, right?" I asked.

Ariana sighed. "Of course I do, but we have to have evidence if we want to keep Sydney here. Her father wants her back."

"My father's here?" Sydney looked panicked.

"He says he's come to take you home. Jared Sage, right?" Ariana shrugged.

"That's him." Sydney confirmed.

Dimitri rushed off to get the tape while the rest of us headed for a conference room. I wondered why Ariana was acting as Queen, but apparently the rest of the council was busy with something. As we entered the conference room, a man who looked similar to Sydney stood up.

"Sydney." He came and put his arms around her.

Sydney looked surprised at the contact, but she hugged him back. "Dad."

"I'm bringing you home. You don't need to be around these Moroi anymore." Mr. Sage said.

Sydney looked nervous. "Dad, I-"

"You're going home, Sydney." A woman said as more of a command than a comfort.

Sydney backed into Adrian and had fear written all over her face. "Y-you..."

"You look familiar." I said. Then it hit me. "You were at the reeducation center. You were with the other detainees."

The woman faked a smile. "I'm one of the staff there, yes."

"I've never seen you before, but your voice..." Sydney was shaking.

"I'm Grace Sheridan. I was overseeing your reeducation." The woman said.

"More like her torture. She was naked and cold in her cell." I said, moving defensively in front of Sydney.

"Move away, Dhampir. Sydney is coming home." Sheridan said.

"Dad, please keep her away from me." Sydney begged.

Mr. Sage sighed. "Sydney, you're going back to reeducation. But you can come home when you're done. Your mother and sister miss you."

"Dad, they were torturing me." Sydney's voice cracked. "Please don't make me go back there."

"There is such a thing as necessary evil." Mr. Sage said. "Reeducation is one of them."

He tried to reach out for Sydney, but Adrian pulled her closer and I stood in the way.

"Move." Mr. Sage ordered.

"No." I said. "Sydney said she wants to stay here, so she's staying here. The old Queen told Sydney she'd let her stay, and no new monarch has been selected. Sydney's staying."

"I've got it." Dimitri brought the tape into the room.

"Play it." Ariana said.

Dimitri put the tape in, rewinded it to when Sydney was abducted, and let it play.

"Mr. Sage, Sydney was promised asylum, and the Alchemists violated that. Unless the new monarch—who has not yet been elected—says otherwise, Sydney is staying." Ariana said.

Mr. Sage glared. "I'm coming back for you, Sydney."

"Don't." Sydney said bravely.

Adrian held her in a comforting gesture and Sydney relaxed into him.

"I will be back for my daughter." Mr. Sage said.

"Not likely." Ariana said. "Escort the Alchemists to the gates."

A couple of guardians complied to Ariana's demands.

"You're the best freaking council member ever. If Lissa doesn't win, you should be Queen." I complimented.

Ariana twitched a smile. "I was thinking the same thing. Now will you stop dragging your problems to Court?"

"I don't purposely do it. It's like I magnetically attract them." I scoffed.

"Dimitri, someone's here to see you." A guardian said, looking uncomfortable.

"Who?" Dimitri questioned.

A man who looked vaguely like Adrian waltzed into the room. "Dimka!"

"Uncle Rand?" Adrian arched an eyebrow.

"Oh, it's great to see you too, Adrian, but I'm here for Dimka." Rand said.

"Why does he keep calling you Dimka? Only your family calls you Dimka." I was utterly confused. "He's not even Russian."

"Randall." Dimitri frowned.

"Come now, Dimka, don't call me Randall. Call me father." Rand said.

"Call him what?" I asked, dumbfounded.

"Roza, this is Randall. He's my father." Dimitri said.

"He's Rand Ivashkov." Adrian looked as lost as I was.

"I suppose that makes us illegitimate cousins." Dimtri said.

"When were you going to tell me we were related?" Adrian questioned.

"I didn't know his last name. We always just called him Randall." Dimitri said.

"Oh God, this is creepy on multiple levels." I said.

"Dimka, how's Olena?" Rand asked. "Sonja, Karolina, Viktoria?"

"Don't ever say their names to me again." Dimitri lurched forward threateningly.

"But they're my family." Rand backed up like a coward.

"We are not your family. You are a sperm donor and an asshole." Dimitri growled.

"Is he really that bad?" Adrian asked.

"He used to push my mother around. Literally." Dimitri said.

"Then what happened?" Adrian dared to ask.

"Dimitri pushed back." I said.

"Tough words coming from a dead man. Or is it undead? I'm never sure what to call Strigoi." Rand taunted.

"Be quiet, Randall." Dimitri said.

"That bitch grandmother and whore of a mother sure did train you to hate me, didn't they?" Rand scoffed.

I would've hit him myself for saying something like that, but Dimitri beat me to it. One hit knocked Rand on his ass, nose bleeding.

"If you ever speak that way about them again, I'll kill you." Dimitri threatened.

"All the women in the family are whores! Your mother didn't magically appear as Yeva's daughter, there was some Moroi involved. You and your sisters are the product of Olena and I's relationship. I hear your sisters have started having little Dhampir children, which are caused by relations with Moroi. They're all whores!" Rand argued.

That was all it took to snap the great Dimitri Belikov. Dimitri was on the ground attacking Rand within a second.

"Agh! He's biting me!" Rand practically shrieked.

Sure enough, Dimitri's teeth were sunk into Rand's neck, a vicious look in his eyes.

"Stop this!" Ariana looked to the guardians.

A set of guardians tried pulling Dimitri off of Rand, but they were no match for him. I wasn't sure if it was his adrenaline or his muscle, but Dimitri flung the two guardians backwards and continued biting Rand.

I put my arms around his neck and pulled as hard as I could. "Dimitri, let go!"

Dimitri flung me off as well, making me hit my head hard against one of the walls. My vision tunneled slightly, but I still got up and tried to pull Dimitri back. I was flung backwards again, hitting the wall harder.

"Rose!" Lissa exclaimed.

"Back off, whore." I barely recognized the Russian words as they left Dimitri's mouth in his cold Strigoi voice.

My world really was turning black this time. I sighed, "Dimitri..." Before I lost consciousness.

**Lissa's POV**

I was scared to see Rose pass out, but I immediately made sure to heal her. She'd still be out for a while, but she'd be okay when she woke up.

Rose's unconscious state seemed to snap Dimitri out of his violent behavior as he looked at her with guilt and love written all over his face. He came closer to cradle her head. "Roza..."

"She'll be fine, but we should still have her checked by a doctor." I said, trying to pick her up.

Dimitri picked her up instead and I followed him as he rushed her to the doctor. He and I each held one of Rose's hands as the doctor looked her over.

"You did a pretty good job of healing her, princess. She should be fine." The doctor said. "Her baby is also doing well."

"Her what?" Dimitri and I asked at the same time.

"Her baby. It's looking okay." The doctor said. Then she scrutinized us. "You didn't know she was pregnant?"

"How far along is she?" Dimitri questioned.

"She can't be more than a few weeks along." The doctor shrugged. "That must be why you don't know. She probably doesn't know either."

"We didn't know because it's not possible. Rose and her boyfriemd are both Dhampirs, and she hasn't been with anyone else." I said.

"Then Rose has either been with someone else or she has a missing genetic link. No offense, but which is more likely?" The doctor pointed out.

"I'd believe that she's exempt from genetics before believing she was with someone else." I scoffed. "She loves Dimitri way too much."

"Look, you either don't know her very well or..." The doctor trailed off.

"Or what?" Dimitri questioned.

"Or we're both right. Maybe she's normal, but she's never purposely been with someone else. Maybe she was raped, and that's why she's pregnant." The doctor suggested.

"Rose hasn't had enough time to be raped. She's only been restored for a few weeks, and she's been with either me or Dimitri the whole time since then. It has to be Dimitri's baby." I said.

"You could always get a paternity test after the baby is born, but from a medical standpoint, I can't see this being the product of two Dhampirs." The doctor said.

"And from a personal standpoint?" I asked.

"Personally... anything seems to be possible in our world." The doctor said before leaving the room.

I looked to see Dimitri stroking Rose's face. I had a feeling that no matter who the father was, and no matter what the circumstances of conception were, he'd still love Rose and the baby both. But he had to be the father. I didn't care if it broke every law of genetics, Rose wouldn't have been with someone else.

Abe stormed in just then and punched Dimitri in the face. "What the hell did you do to Rose?!"

Dimitri faced Abe calmly. "It was an accident."

"It didn't sound like an accident!" Abe exclaimed.

"It was. I deserve your hit and more, but it was an accident. You can ask Rose when she wakes up." Dimitri said.

Rose's mom stood in the doorway, studying the situation. I had a feeling she believed Dimitri, but she still wanted to hit something too. "Belikov, let's talk outside."

Dimitri nodded, perfectly willing to let her hit him if it came to that. Based on the whispers I heard, I don't think she actually did end up hitting him. I was proven right when the only mark on his face seemed to be where Abe hit him when he walked back in with Rose's mom.

**Rose's POV**

I woke up with Dimitri looking down at me guiltily. I yawned, "Hey, Comrade. You feeling okay now?"

Dimitri laughed humorlessly. "You're asking me that? After hitting your head?"

"As long as this doesn't become a regular thing, I think we're good." I stroked his face.

Dimitri was staring at me with a mix of love and confusion I'd never seen, even when we'd first started to realize our feelings for each other.

"Are you okay, Comrade?" I asked.

"I'm the only man you've been with, right?" Dimitri asked.

"Is this a trick question? Because I think there were some things that made it pretty obvious that I was a virgin before I was with you." I scoffed.

"But you haven't been with anyone since our first time, right?" Dimitri prodded.

"Of course not! What would make you think that?" I questioned. Then I got a good look at his face. "What happened to your face?"

"I happened to his face." Abe said. "I hit him."

"Why the hell would you do that?" I glared at Abe.

I suddenly realized that my parents and Lissa were in the room as well.

"He threw you into the wall. Twice." Abe said.

"It was an accident!" I exclaimed. "Just like when I bit Tasha!"

"Maybe it's too dangerous for us to be around each other. Maybe there's not room for both of us..." Dimitri muttered.

I gripped his shirt collar and sat up straight. "Don't you dare use those stupid cowboy lines on me. I need you, and you can't decide what's best for me. I decide what's best for me, and I know that's you."

Dimitri looked conflicted at first, but then he pulled his emotionless guardian look. "People don't always make good decisions for themselves. All I've ever done is drag you into danger and heartache."

"And that's all you'll continue to do if you leave me." I pointed out.

Dimitri sighed. "Roza-"

"Dimitri, stop it! She's miserable when you're gone and she drags herself into danger either way. I don't want her running away because of yet another of your supposedly selfless whims. And stress isn't good when you're pregnant!" Lissa snapped.

"Who's pregnant?" I questioned. Then a possibility came to me. "Oh Liss, are you pregnant?"

Lissa looked startled. "What? No, I'm not pregnant. You are."

"No offense, but I think I'd know that before you." I said.

"Not if you're only a few weeks along and the doctor told us while you were unconscious." Lissa said.

"Liss, think about what you're saying. Dhampirs can't reproduce, and I've never been with anyone other than Dimitri." I reminded her.

"You've never had any circumstance where you've either wanted or been forced to be with someone else?" Lissa questioned.

"Liss, the only person who had enough time to sleep with me besides Dimitri is Joshua, and we both know I didn't do anything with him." I said.

"Well, the doctor says you're pregnant, so that means you and Dimitri have broken some kind of genetic barrier." Lissa said.

"Dimitri, tell Lissa she's crazy. None of this makes any-" I cut myself off as I realized Dimitri wasn't in the room anymore. "Where the hell did he go?"

My parents had been so caught up in the banter between me and Lissa that they hadn't noticed Dimitri was gone either. Left on a counter was a small piece of paper with scrawled handwriting on it, as if it had been written quickly. It read:

I love you, Roza. Goodbye.

Lissa's Spirit darkness welled up within me, mixed with my own anger and confusion. It was a deadly combination.

"Rose?" Lissa tried to get my attention.

I picked up a syringe and threw it at the wall, shattering it. "I'm so sick of that dumb Russian playing with me! I've defended him in battle, nearly let him go because I thought it would make him happy, forced myself to listen to his training instructions, gave him my virginity, tried to go back to the caves when he could've been dead, ran away to Russia to free his soul, got his family to like me, looked for a way to restore him, and forgiven him when I thought he was cheating on me! All I've gotten in return was him playing with my emotions by telling me he's going to leave me every five freaking seconds! What the hell will it take to make him realize that I love him and he can't just leave me every time things get tough?!"

My parents were frozen in shock at my sudden angry outburst. Lissa knew what was happening though.

"Rose, you need to calm down. This is Spirit darkness, not you." Lissa said gently.

"No, this is exactly how I feel, and Spirit darkness is only enhancing me into taking action. Violent or otherwise." I fumed.

Before Lissa could stop me, I tore down the hall looking for Dimitri. He was _not_ going to just leave me like this. Not again. But I didn't have to look for too long. Dimitri was being held hostage by Nathan and Galina just down the hall.

"Hello, Rose. It's a great displeasure to see you again." Galina said.


	34. Strigoi

**Chapter 34: Strigoi**

**Rose's POV**

Nathan was holding Dimitri in a chokehold, making biting motions at Dimitri's neck, but not quite doing it.

"How the hell did you get past the wards?" Was my first thought.

"Simple, we compelled a human to use a silver stake to break the wards." Galina said. "Now get over here before we murder your boyfriend."

After she'd said that, there was a black spot in my memory. The next thing I could remember was waking up in the hospital room again, covered in blood. But it wasn't mine.

"What the hell happened?" I immediately sat up.

Lissa was sitting next to my bed, a pondering look on her face. "You viciously attacked the two Strigoi. A normal person couldn't have pulled it off, but you pretty much ripped their throats out. With your teeth."

I nearly vomited. "That's sick."

"In a way it was, but in another way it was intriguing." Lissa said. "I hope you'll never be that scary again, but it was kind of interesting."

I suddenly noticed that we were completely alone. "Where is everyone?"

"We're in a Spirit dream. You were too exhausted to be awake, so I came to you." Lissa explained.

"You finally created a Spirit dream?" I asked.

"Actually, Adrian created it and then pulled me in. Then he pulled you in and left the dream for me to control." Lissa elaborated.

"So... what happened to Dimitri?" I asked.

"Last I checked, he's holding your hand in your real hospital room." Lissa shrugged. "And... he's probably going to have a black eye."

"Why? Did one of the Strigoi hit him?" I asked.

"No, you did. And you yelled something about how the only way he's ever leaving you again is in a body bag." Lissa twitched a smirk.

"Did I specify whether or not that body bag would be caused by me?" I asked.

"You didn't. But I assume that was one of the options." Lissa laughed.

"Liss... do you really think it's possible for me to be pregnant?" I asked in a whisper.

"I don't know. Anything's possible, and the doctor said you were, and you said you've only been with Dimitri." Lissa said.

I looked down at my stomach, thinking how weird it was that there was a little person in there.

"Rose, do you want children?" Lissa asked.

"I don't know." I shrugged. "I didn't have to think about that with Dimitri, and I never planned on letting a Moroi get in my pants... or a human, really. Now I have to think about it."

"I think you'd be a good mom. Plus, I can be the relatively rich aunt who spoils the kid." Lissa put an arm around me.

I laughed a little before turning serious again. "But the problem is... I've been pretty dangerous and unstable ever since I was a Strigoi. And Dimitri tries to act all noble and leave me every time things get tough. How can I add the stress of a kid onto that?"

"You aren't considering abortion, are you?" Lissa looked pained.

"Of course not. I just don't know what I'm going to do now. I've never really known, but I always had the opportunity to change my mind before. The only thing I was ever sure about was becoming your guardian. And that I wanted to be with Dimitri." I said.

"You'll always get to be my guardian. Even if you have to take maternity leave or take some days off to hang out with the kid." Lissa elbowed me playfully.

I leaned into her and sighed. "Liss, that's the only thing I'm sure of at this point."

"Do you want to see something amazing?" Lissa asked. "Tap into the bond."

I reached into the bond to find Lissa reading my aura. But it wasn't just my aura. As Lissa looked down at my stomach, I realized she was looking at the baby's aura too. It was faint and seemed to still be forming, but it was there, and Spirit surrounded all the forming emotions. It was beautiful to me. I sniffled a little thinking about how much my life was going to change, but I knew I'd always have Lissa to help me. I suddenly got an idea.

"Hey Liss, can you wake up and take Dimitri into the hallway. I want to get a chance to wake up before I talk to you guys again." I said.

Lissa smiled and complied and left the Spirit dream, letting it crumble around me. I woke up maybe a few minutes later, no one else in the room. I immediately got up and headed for the window I'd seen in the Spirit dream. It could open, so I could escape. Once I assured it was open, I wrote a short letter to Lissa and left it on the hospital bed, heading out the window. As I landed out the window, the string of profanities that left my mouth could've been identified in any language.

"Rose?" I saw Lissa through the bond.

I could tell by the sound of her voice that she was worried. Once she saw the empty bed with nothing but a piece of paper on it, she panicked. I ran to my destination as she picked up the letter. It read:

_Lissa, I'm sorry for lying to you, but I have to leave. Just for a few weeks! I'm not running away again, I just need space to breathe. I promise that a few weeks from now, I'll be with you, acting as the Queen's guardian. I love you and everyone else, but I need to be alone for a little while. I need a break. I love you.  
__-Rose._

"Rose, you can't leave me again!" Lissa's eyes filled with tears.

She tried to reach through the bond, but I blocked her pretty effectively. The only thing I let her feel was my love and devotion for her.

"Where is Roza?" Dimitri asked.

If I caused that black eye, I really must have been pissed off. Well, I was definitely pissed off at the time.

Lissa looked at the open window and sniffled. "She left again. She says it will only be a few weeks, but she left." Then realization dawned on Lissa. She looked at the letter again and noticed that the words _I need a break_ were written darker than the rest of the letter, almost as if I were trying to highlight them. "That's what she meant. She needs a break from you."

"What?" Dimitri asked.

"The note she left said she needed a break. She was talking about a break from you." Lissa said. "She's so sick of you leaving her that she decided to leave you, even if only temporarily. That's how much you hurt her, how much you affect her overall."

Dimitri frowned. "I'm not trying to hurt her, I'm trying to help her."

Lissa sighed. "Dimitri, leaving her when things get tough doesn't help. All it does is distort her perception of relationships and make her think that no relationship she has can ever last. All you do is hurt her because she thinks you aren't willing to put any real effort into maintaining a relationship and that she's the one doing something wrong. If she could just make you stay, she'd be happy for the rest of her life, no matter how hard things get."

She was right, I did feel that way. And now Dimitri could feel the sting of it while I took my time to think. I changed into a set of clothes that weren't bloody and took one of the Court's cars. Again. But I really was only going to be gone for a few weeks. I drove to the airport again, bought some tickets to Los Angeles, and got on the plane. I remembered that we had a contact living in Palm Springs, and I wanted to stay there during my few weeks of absence. And I also had a four to five hour flight to think about things before I even got there. Plus, I still had Adrian's credit card, so I could buy new clothes while I was there.

**Lissa's POV**

"What do you mean she's gone?" Eddie questioned. "Again?"

"Rose wants a break from the stress she's getting, so she decided to leave for a few weeks." I explained.

"A real guardian sticks around no matter how bad the stress is." Eddie punched a punching bag.

We were in one of the guardians' gyms.

Eddie's words made anger flare up in me. "Eddie, I hate when she leaves too, but this is actually reasonable and necessary! She's not receiving the same kind of stress as a guardian. She's scared of what happens to her and Dimitri when they revert back to the Strigoi way of thinking—which is typically triggered by someone pissing them off. She does way too many responsible and dangerous things for someone her age. You two killed Strigoi back in Spokane—which is something most teenagers can't boast—she has to worry about whether or not Dimitri actually cares enough to stick around, she ran away to Russia to save Dimitri's soul, she's killed more Strigoi than most of our class of Dhampirs can boast in their lifetimes, and her world seems to crash down around her every five minutes, especially with my Spirit darkness clouding her judgement. She needs a break!"

Eddie looked startled at my outburst. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were Rose defending herself."

I pondered that thought. I'd always cared about Rose's thoughts and feelings, but I seemed to be defending her more frequently and vehemently lately. Maybe now that the bond went both ways, I was feeling Rose's point of view on her actions, and so I defended her the same way she'd defend herself. I'd never thought about that possibility before, but we'd never had the bond go both ways either. And now that I thought about it, Rose seemed to defend me almost as if she were defending herself too. It was like we were becoming one person, except for our personality and hereditary differences.

**Rose's POV**

When I landed in Los Angeles, I rented a car and drove for two hours to get to Palm Springs. As I pulled up at Clarence Donahue's house, I realized that although his house was nice, it had that creepy haunted mansion feel. I walked up to the door and knocked. A housekeeper who obviously doubled as a feeder answered the door.

"Are you Rose?" The feeder asked.

"Yeah, I'm Rose Hathaway. Is Mr. Donahue home?" I asked.

Dorothy motioned for me to follow her and we walked into what I assume was his living room. He was sitting in a chair, reading a book.

"Mr. Donahue, Rose is here." The feeder said.

"Thank you, Dorothy." Mr. Donahue smiled as he looked up from his book.

He seemed like the kind of old guy that was only half there. I could live with that as long as that meant he wouldn't bother me too much. Dorothy walked into the kitchen, which smelled like lasagna.

"So you're the young Dhampir that wants to stay with me for a little while?" Mr. Donahue asked.

"Just a few weeks." I nodded.

A guy who looked like a younger version of Mr. Donahue walked into the room. "Hey dad, the door's fixed."

"Thank you, Lee. Rose, this is my son, Lee. Lee, this is Rose. She'll be staying with us a few weeks." Mr. Donahue introduced us.

"Nice to meet you." Lee smiled politely.

"You too." I said.

Unfortunately, Lee didn't seem at all crazy, so he might actually bother me while I was here. Oh well. It's better than the suffocation I felt at Court.


	35. Final Monarch Test

**Chapter 35: Final Monarch Test**

**Rose's POV**

I don't know what took them so long, but the last monarch test wasn't administered until a week after I left. Lissa and pretty much everyone else in our group of friends had grown bored and even depressed without me there, but now they refocused their attention to whatever the last monarch test was. Lissa was being led into the same room she'd been in for the Spirit dream test, but there was no chalice this time. Just Ekaterina.

"Nice to see you again." Lissa said as she sat down.

"Good to see you too, child." Ekaterina smiled. "You're by far the most polite candidate. Ariana comes a close second to you, but no one matches your politeness and honesty."

"Thank you." Lissa said. "So... what's the last test?"

"Your last test is to answer a riddle. You'll have a week to answer it, but only a week." Ekaterina said.

"What's the riddle?" Lissa asked.

"What must a Queen possess in order to truly rule her people?" Ekaterina asked. "Take all the time you need to ponder it. Your chance to answer ends at the end of the week, and you only have one chance to answer."

Lissa was confused already. There were many answers, and yet none at all. She figured it probably wouldn't be a simple answer, but then again maybe it was. That was the magic of riddles, they got you to think in both simple and complex formats. "I'll keep that in mind. Thank you."

Ekaterina nodded. "And by the way child, I do think you could win. Don't let this riddle flood and drown you. Be confident. But don't _own_ it."

Lissa wasn't sure why Ekaterina stressed the word _own_, but she smiled nonetheless and left. The crowds cheered for her as she exited, repeating, "Dragomir!" and "Return of the Dragon!" It was a lot of stress to put on a teenage girl, but Lissa smiled and owned it. Which is ironically the opposite of what Ekaterina said to do.

"Hey, Rose." Lee said.

I snapped out of the bond and focused my attention on him. "Yeah?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to play mini golf." Lee said.

"I don't like mini golf. Besides, I also happen to be so good at it that I'm afraid I'd make you and Clarence cry. Actually, that would be pretty entertaining. But I still hate mini golf." I said.

"What a bipolar point of view." Lee smirked. "And my dad wouldn't be coming. He's not one much for mini golf, and he doesn't really like leaving the house."

I'd noticed that during my time here. But Lee wanted to play freaking _mini golf_, and he wanted to play it with me _alone_. If this wasn't one of the textbook, super cheesy come-ons, I didn't know what was. "I don't like mini golf."

"But you said you were good at it, so good you could make me cry. I happen to think that I'm so good at mini golf that I could beat you. How about we test our skills as a little competition. If you win, I'll pay you a hundred dollars." Lee challenged.

"And what if you win?" I questioned. "I'd like to know what I'd be getting myself into."

Lee grinned. "If I win, you have to go on a date with me."

I snorted. "There are plenty of guys ahead of you in line to date me. What makes you think I'd pick you?"

"Because I'm going to win this little bet." Lee smirked.

Lee wasn't actually bad looking, but I already had enough guys who liked me to worry about. I had a feeling Adrian and Sydney would be a good couple, but if they weren't, I'd have to worry about whether or not he still liked me. Then I had Joshua waiting for me at the Keepers, no matter how many times I told him I wouldn't come back. And... did I have Dimitri? I'd come on this little vacation to get away from the pain he was causing me, and he left me every time things got tough. I distracted myself by agreeing to the bet. "Fine, I'll play mini golf with you. But _I'm_ going to win."

Lee grinned excitedly. He left not long after and I had nothing to do until mini golf that night. I decided that if I was going through with my decision to keep the baby, I might as well start shopping for it. The only problem was that I had no idea what gender it was, so I had to look for neutral colors. But all the neutral colors were ugly.

"Screw it." I started grabbing blue stuff.

If the baby was a boy, this would be perfectly fine. If it was a girl... yeah, blue isn't explicitly a guy color, so I was sure she could get over it.

_"You're baby shopping?!"_ Lissa's voice rang in my mind. _"We were always supposed to do that together when we were older!"_

At first I thought I was guiltily imagining what she'd say. Then I realized that Lissa had just reached through the bond. I put my guard up in terms of keeping her from knowing my location.

_"It doesn't matter if I look into the bond. I know it's somewhere sunny because I can see the outside just as clearly as you can."_ Lissa pointed out.

I sighed. _"Look Liss, I do feel bad about not doing this with you, but it's not like I'm buying everything all at once. The people I'm staying with would think it was pretty weird if I came back with a car seat and a crib. I'm just getting the clothes."_

_"But that's the fun part! Looking at all the adorable outfits!" _Lissa exclaimed.

_"Liss, the clothes are the fun part for you. Since I'm a guardian, the fun part for me is picking out car seats and cribs with good safety standards. You can get excited watching me get excited later."_ I pointed out.

_"Can we just buy more baby clothes when you get back? It's not bad to have more than you need."_ Lissa whined.

_"Fine."_ I sighed. _"And don't try to figure out where I am until I get back."_

The store clerk smiled at me, probably thinking I was mumbling to myself as I picked out clothes. I smiled back out of politeness.

_"I won't try to figure out where you are. The feelings I've been getting tell me that the boredom and break from your problems is making you happy. Not to mention the fact that I know how much you love the sun."_ Lissa sighed. _"Just... come back soon. I need you."_

_"I promise I will, Liss. And maybe I'll try to figure out that riddle for you." _I promised.

I couldn't see her face through the bond, but I just knew she was grinning.

"Hey Rose, what's up?" Lee's voice came from behind me. "And why are you in a baby store?"

I spun around and immediately went for evasive maneuvers. "Why are _you_ in a baby store?"

"I saw you walk in. I was across the street at the hardware store." Lee shrugged. "Now will you answer my question?"

_"Who is that?"_ Lissa asked.

_"He's one of the people I'm staying with."_ I told Lissa through the bond. Out loud to Lee, I said, "I just found out not too long ago that I kind of need this stuff."

Lee's eyes lit up with realization and... hurt? "I guess that's why you said you didn't want to go to mini golf with me?"

_"He invited you to mini golf! He wants to date you!"_ Lissa exclaimed.

_"I know. That's why I didn't originally want to go. Plus, you know I hate mini golf."_ I thought to her. To Lee, I said, "No, I just hate mini golf. But my pregnancy _is_ why I didn't want to go on a date with you if I lost the game."

_"You made a bet with him that could make you go on a date with him! What about Dimitri?!"_ Lissa sounded scared.

I flinched at her words. _"Liss... I wasn't planning on going on a date with Lee. And Dimitri is the whole reason I'm out here. If he really wanted me, he'd stay with me no matter what. I don't plan on dating Lee, but I don't know what's going to happen with Dimitri either."_

Lissa felt a pang of guilt for what she'd said.

Lee sighed. "You don't have to play mini golf if you don't want to. I'll find something else to do."

"No, I still want to play. I need to see you cry when I win and you lose." I teased.

Lee twitched a smile. "Okay, we're still on then."

"Yeah, we're still on." I said. "Be prepared for me to kick your ass."

Lee smiled and left the store not long after. I looked through some baby clothes and had radio silence from Lissa. I decided to go baby shopping with her later and left everything except the outfits I really wanted. Yeah, it's possible for me to get girly over that stuff. I walked to the beach and decided to spend my day there, getting a tan while I enjoyed the sun I'd missed on the vampiric schedule.

**Lissa's POV**

I knew Rose said she didn't want to date Lee, but... if she actually lost a game of mini golf for once, she could have to go on a date with him, which is the gateway to other dates. And as much as I hated to admit it, I felt slight sparks of attraction between them in the bond. Nothing that could make her leave Dimitri, but if the spark was tended to, it could easily turn into the kind of flame that would make her more strongly reconsider going back to Dimitri. It worried me and that must have shown on my face, because Christian finally asked me about it.

"What's been bothering you? I know Rose isn't here, but you've survived this whole week without her, and now you look like you're going to die if you don't talk about your feelings." Christian sighed.

"Well... I'm worried about Rose because I think she might date this other guy she met wherever she is." I told him.

"I thought you couldn't reach her in the bond?" Christian questioned.

"I couldn't before, but she let her guard down while she was baby shopping today, and we talked. During our conversation, one of the people she's staying with came in and mentioned them going to mini golf, and Rose said something about how if she lost the game, she'd have to go on a date with him." I said.

Christian looked a little surprised too, but not as worried as me. "Trust me, Rose loves Dimitri too much for anything to happen. Besides, it might actually be good for her to take her mind off Dimitri with a meaningless date. As long as she doesn't go on multiple dates with the guy you mentioned, I don't really see a problem."

"Are you saying you'd date someone else if we were in the same situation?" I questioned.

"No. Besides, I don't think we'll ever have a situation quite like theirs." Christian shrugged.

I sighed. "Christian, I just worry about Rose. She adapts really easily from one guy to the other. Dimitri's the longest relationship she's had, and I don't want it ruined."

"Liss, you need to calm down. And if I didn't know any better, I'd say you just called Rose a slut." Christian elbowed me playfully.

"I know Rose isn't a slut, Christian. It's just..." I sighed. "I don't want to risk her relationship with Dimitri."

"If Rose is as addictively in love with Dimitri as we think, then we don't have to worry. And we wouldn't have to worry in the first place if Dimitri didn't constantly have one supposedly noble foot out the door." Christian pointed out.

Christian had a point. And although I didn't want their relationship to end, Rose did deserve better than a guy with one foot out the door. I just hoped the guy she deserved was Dimitri. She'd gone through too much for him and given too much of herself to have him up and leave her one day.

**Rose's POV**

Lee drove us to a mini golf course after night fell. It was lit up with cheesy lights and lame decorations, but it wasn't the worst course I'd ever seen.

"Do you really think you can beat me?" Lee asked playfully.

"Oh, I really do. My best friend's practically a pro, and I beat her every time. I also beat every guy who's ever played me." I bantered.

"Are we still talking about golf? Or are we talking about you beating up your ex-boyfriends?" Lee teased.

"Both." I winked.

"Well, I didn't know what I was getting into. Let's put your skills to the test and see if I cry." Lee smirked.

By the tenth hole, Lee and I were actually tied. He was a lot better at this than most people I'd played. I was still cocky enough to believe I'd win though.

"Oh my God, this hole is based on vampires?" I laughed and pointed at a stereotype Dracula statue.

"Yeah, and he greatly resembles us, doesn't he?" Lee joked.

"Actually, he looks like a wimpy Strigoi. Or a really pale and ridiculous Moroi." I smirked.

"Huh, now that you mention it, he does." Lee chuckled.

The way his grey eyes twinkled with humor was attractive. Not that I'd notice. I lined up my shot and swung. Hole in one. Although I only caught a brief glimpse of it, I could've sworn Lee was staring at my ass as I made the shot.

"Your turn." I said.

Lee lined up his shot, took a little more time than I had, and finally got a hole in one as well. We had a pretty friendly rivalry going as we made each shot. At the final hole, I decided to test my theory about Lee staring at my ass. I purposely wiggled it as I made my shot and caught a glimpse of him smirking.

"You are staring at my ass!" I exclaimed.

Lee blushed slightly, but he kept his smirk. "Would you be offended if I said I was?"

"Not particularly." I shrugged.

"Either way, that wiggle cost you this hole." Lee gestured to my ball, which had landed in water.

"Shit. Well, I'm pretty sure you can't make this shot." I muttered.

"We'll see." Lee smirked as he lined up his shot.

He didn't seem to take time to think as he swung. The ball landed in the hole as a perfect hole in one. My jaw dropped. I'd never been beaten at mini golf before.

"I win." Lee grinned.

"Only because I tried to prove you were staring at my ass!" I exclaimed.

"It's not my fault that you risked a game changing move on me." Lee winked.

I sighed. "Where do you want to go for our date?"

Lee looked surprised. "You... actually want to go?"

"We made a bet." I shrugged. "I can't expect you to honor your half of the deal if I don't honor mine. Where do you want to go? I need to know if I'm wearing a dress or normal clothes."

Lee grinned excitedly. "Let's go right now."

Before I could protest, he grabbed my hand and led me back to the car. We drove for a short time in silence.

"Where are we going?" I finally asked.

"The beach." Lee grinned.

"You realize it's nighttime, right? The water will be freezing and the beach is probably closed." I pointed out.

Lee just kept driving until we finally got to the beach. Much like when I'd taken trips with Lissa's family, the beach was beautiful at night. But it had always been too cold to swim.

"You want to have a date on an abandoned beach? I'm trusting you less and less." I commented.

"You know you trust me." Lee smiled.

Oddly, I did trust him as I looked into his eyes. He sat down near the edge of the water and stuck his feet in. I did the same.

"So... am I allowed to ask why you're pregnant, but you came here by yourself, and you agreed to a date with me?" Lee asked bluntly.

"It's complicated." I shrugged. "And I only agreed because we made a bet. I didn't think you'd actually win."

"Is it the kind of complicated where you'll stay with the father, or is it the kind where you're leaving him?" Lee questioned.

I sighed. "I don't know yet."

"Does it bother you that I'm asking questions?" Lee asked.

"Kind of. But I get why you are." I shrugged.

"I'd consider myself lucky to be with you and a baby, so the father must have done something really stupid." Lee said.

I flinched. Words like that from a guy I'd barely known a week seemed kind of creepy. "Look, I don't really want to talk about it, okay?"

"Fine. We don't have to talk." Lee shrugged.

Before I knew what was happening, Lee suddenly kissed me. He wasn't bad at it, but it was nothing like what I'd felt with Dimitri in the past. I pushed him off.

"Lee, I'm not looking for a relationship." I said.

"You want me." Lee said.

Something shifted in my mind and I suddenly did want him. I wasn't feeling love or lust, but what I was feeling was vaguely familiar. I couldn't remember where I'd felt it before, and I didn't have much time to think as I leaned forward to kiss him.


	36. Homecoming

**Chapter 36: Homecoming**

**Rose's POV**

I woke up and wasn't sure of where I was at first. The sun wasn't quite up yet, I could hear water, and I felt sand underneath me. Then I remembered I was at the beach with Lee. I was naked and the only thing covering me was his naked body. Remembering the events from last night sent a wave of guilt and confusion through me. I'd had sex with him. But I hadn't wanted him... and then suddenly I had. And what if Dimitri found out about this? I was still mad at him, but thoughts of Dimitri caused me to try to scramble for my clothes.

Lee held me down and kissed my neck. "What are you doing?"

"I don't know... I don't know why I slept with you..." I tried to get up again.

"Because you love me." Lee kept me down.

"I barely know you." I pointed out.

"Love knows no bounds." Lee said.

"I don't love you! I don't even lust you! I-" Realization suddenly hit me. "You compelled me. You made me feel synthetic lust."

"I only compelled you into the decision. You're the one who went from there." Lee admitted.

"I didn't want you! You compelled me! You-" A wave of nausea creeped over me. "You raped me..."

"I wouldn't exactly call last night rape. You enjoyed yourself." Lee snorted.

"You compelled me! My feelings weren't real!" I exclaimed.

"They were real." Lee growled and pulled me closer to him. "And that's what we'll feel for eternity."

"Speak for yourself." I tried to push him away from me.

"I am speaking for myself. And you. Once I'm turned back into a Strigoi, I'll wait until your baby's born and turn you. Then I'll wait until it's older and turn it too. We'll be together forever." Lee muttered.

The realization of what his words meant forced me into action and I tried harder to get away from him. We struggled, him having the advantage over me. I finally punched him and scrambled for my pants. He started pulling me back to him by my ankles.

"We'll be together forever, Rose." Lee grunted.

I pulled what I needed out of my pants and concealed it as I addressed him. "Why do you want us to be together?"

"Because I want you." He said.

"Wrong answer." I turned sharply and plunged my stake into his heart.

Lee's lips parted, probably trying to suck in air. "You staked me..."

"You raped me." I countered.

"You liked it..." He said with his dying breath.

I pulled my stake out, dropped it, and hugged my knees tightly to my chest. I'd been raped. And I'd liked it...

**Lissa's POV**

A sharp burst of sadness woke me up and I tried to tune into the bond. Rose's guard was down, but her sad emotions were so overwhelming that I couldn't clearly see what was going on. It was a complete blur. Then the bond suddenly changed. It wasn't muted or gone, but I couldn't feel Rose anymore. It was like she herself was numb, and not from alcohol. I felt panicked at what that meant all day.

"Liss, what's wrong? You're really freaking me out." Christian looked sincerely concerned.

"Rose was overwhelmingly sad. And then she wasn't. It's like she's numb, and not from alcohol use." I said.

"Well that's weird, but I don't really know what it means. I can't feel it, and I don't know too much about bonds in the first place." Christian said. "Maybe we should-"

I was going to ask why Christian was so quiet, but then I turned around and saw Rose. There was something... different about her. She didn't have her shoulders raised confidently and she wasn't walking tall. She gave off this sense of vulnerability that scared me.

"Rose!" I stood up and rushed to hug her.

She slowly hugged me back, remaining silent.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

Rose wouldn't look me in the eyes and she didn't respond.

"Little Dhampir!" Adrian grinned and moved to give Rose a hug. "Great to-"

Before Adrian even reached her, Rose flinched and backed away.

"Hey, what's up?" Adrian arched an eyebrow.

Rose was practically shaking.

"Rose, what's wrong?" I asked.

She hadn't flinched that way when I'd hugged her. Christian moved towards Rose slowly. She didn't flinch, but she seemed wary of his presence. Christian reached out a hand to her and Rose reluctantly took it. Then she grasped him into a hug. It was so affectionate and unexpected that we all just started in shock.

"Christian..." Rose breathed.

Christian seemed a little confused himself, but he kept his arms around her. When he tried to move away, Rose pulled him closer. Christian let himself be hugged by her, probably worried about her.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Christian asked gently.

Rose started to sob and kept her head firmly planted against his chest. I decided that Rose needed some kind of help and signaled for Christian to bring Rose where I was going. When Christian was finally released of the hug, Rose still wouldn't let go of his hand. We sent her to see Deirdre—which caused an argument when we told her she should let go of Christian's hand—and left her in there for an hour before Deirdre came out, looking pained.

"What's wrong with her?" I asked.

Deirdre sighed. "It took a lot of coaxing, but... Rose was raped. She feels like it was somehow her fault."

"Rose was raped?" My jaw dropped and everyone else's followed. "Why would she think it's her fault?"

"Victims can come up with any number of reasons why it's their fault. I couldn't get Rose to tell me her reason." Deirdre said.

"Why... why did she reluctantly hug me, flinch away from Adrian, and bear hug Christian?" I asked.

"Honestly? Rape victims tend to feel dirty and guilty after their encounters, and they're a little distant. And she may have flinched away from Lord Ivashkov because she's nervous around men after what happened. And as for Lord Ozera..." Deirdre scrutinized him. "Are you two close?"

"I'm her best friend's boyfriend and we constantly banter. The few moments of peace we have are during desperate situations." Christian shrugged.

"She must feel close to you. If she's flinching away from other friends such as Lord Ivashkov and the Dragomir princess, but she's affectionate to you, it means she views you as someone she's close to. Someone she's safe with." Deirdre said.

"She feels safe with me?" Christian looked pleasantly surprised.

"You've probably proven yourself to her at some point. Rose probably knows you'd be willing to protect her if needed. And honestly? You don't seem like the pissy alpha male type that the rapist probably was." Deirdre shrugged.

Christian pondered that thought.

"And I do seem like that type to her? I've never shown an ounce of anger towards her—at least not in that sense." Adrian scoffed.

"It's not you specifically. It's actually rare for rape victims to immediately trust anyone other than family or in even rarer cases, a significant other." Sydney said—she'd followed us here.

"How do you know, Sage?" Adrian asked.

"Aside from me knowing all kinds of random trivia? My older sister was raped." Sydney said. "Can I go in and see Rose?"

"Why?" I asked.

"I might be able to help her realize it's not her fault. My sister used to think it was her fault too." Sydney said.

I wanted to be the one to help Rose, but I knew Sydney might actually be able to help better than I could. "Anything that can help Rose."

**Rose's POV**

I'd tried to keep myself numb after what happened, but that was difficult with so many emotional friends. Sydney walked in and sat next to me.

"Hey, Rose." Sydney said.

I ignored her in fear of breaking down.

Sydney grabbed my hand. "It's not your fault. My sister was in a situation similar to this, and it wasn't her fault either. The most important thing to remember is that it's not your fault."

"He only compelled me into making a decision. I did the rest." I sniffled.

"The rest wouldn't have happened if he hadn't compelled you. You have nothing to be guilty for. _He's_ the one who betrayed _your_ trust." Sydney insisted.

"I never should've gone to Palm Springs." I sobbed.

"It's not your fault." Sydney repeated as she gathered me into a hug.

I sobbed for a long time before finally leaving with Sydney. My friends gathered me into a group hug that made me nervous at first. Then I relaxed into it and let myself be happy that I was home.

A few hours later, Lissa and I were lying on my bed, her stroking my hair. Christian was sitting on the second bed. Dimitri suddenly burst into the room and came to sit next to me on the bed. Lissa kept a protective hold on me.

Dimitri looked afraid, but his voice was calm and gentle as he said, "Roza, I'm so sorry."

I felt the need to be close to him and grasped him into a hug. He'd always keep me safe.

"I promise I'll never leave you again." Dimitri whispered affectionately.

"Stay." I muttered and breathed in his scent.

"Stay." Dimitri confirmed.


	37. A Proposal

**Chapter 37: A Proposal**

**Rose's POV**

Dimitri stayed with me all night and we talked about my experience. I felt dirty, used, and uncomfortable, but we needed to talk. I felt a lot better and safer afterwards. We also talked about our relationship, promising to never leave each other again. But the next morning, I found the bed empty, and I could tell he wasn't in the bathroom—no sounds of defecating or water were heard. I sobbed, thinking Dimitri had left me again.

Christian stirred in the bed next to mine—he'd stayed with Lissa last night—and got up to sit next to me. "What's wrong?"

"Where's Dimitri?" I asked.

Christian looked around, saw that Lissa was gone, and suddenly noticed something on his bed. It was a piece of paper and he picked it up to read it.

"What does it say?" I asked.

Christian smiled. "He's with Lissa."

"Why?" I asked.

"It's a surprise. But if you need someone, I'll stay with you." Christian sat next to me again.

I hugged him. "Thanks, Sparky."

Christian laid with me—in the friendly way. "I like that you trust me, and I want to keep it that way."

A sudden thought came to me. "That's ironic."

"What's ironic?" Christian asked.

I wasn't sure whether or not this would cause him pain. I decided to take the risk. "The guy... he said he'd turn Strigoi, wait until my baby was born before he turned me Strigoi, and then wait until it had grown up before he turned it. That's a lot like what your parents were going to do with you."

Christian frowned in thought. "That's creepy. And scary. I feel really bad for you, because that's my worst nightmare, and you almost lived it."

I felt safer when Christian tightened his hold on me. He was a good friend.

**Lissa's POV**

I looked at yet another ring I wasn't sure Rose would like. "I don't know."

"Aren't you her best friend?" Dimitri questioned.

"The only time she's ever worn jewelry was when Victor gave her the lust charm. I don't really know what kind of jewelry Rose likes!" I scoffed.

Dimitri sighed. "I just want her to like it."

"Dimitri, she'll probably like whatever you pick. Rose loves you, not the things you buy her." I said.

"But the rings are supposed to be a symbol of our love." Dimitri pointed out.

"Yes, they are. And to most women, it's the thought that counts. As long as you get her a ring, even if it's cheap, she'll love it." I assured him.

"You could just give her mine." A familiar voice said.

Dimitri and I turned to see Olena Belikova.

"Mother? What are you doing here?" Dimitri asked.

"I heard I was becoming a grandmother. Again." Olena looked over at me with a smirk.

Dimitri turned to me. "You called my mother?"

"Technically, I had Sydney call your grandmother." I said.

"On your behalf." Olena smirked. "And we live in the same house, so news spreads quickly."

"And you don't find the circumstances odd?" Dimitri turned his gaze back to his mother.

"You mean the fact that two Dhampirs are having a baby? Of course the circumstances are odd, but that doesn't mean I'm not happy for you, Dimka." Olena smiled. "And just use my ring."

"What ring? You've never been married." Dimitri questioned.

"No, but I almost was. Before Randall. It didn't work out." Olena said.

"What happened?" Dimitri asked.

"He died fighting a Strigoi. He unfortunately couldn't be with me, but that doesn't mean his rings should go to waste. Use the one he gave me for Rose and the one he wore for you." Olena instructed.

"Mother... thank you." Dimitri gave her a hug.

"Of course. I love you, Dimka. Besides, I finally get to be a mother-in-law, and we get to add another woman to our family." Olena said.

"As if we don't already have enough women. Poor Paul is the only man in the house when I'm gone." Dimitri snorted.

"Then move back home." Olena teased.

"If I'm staying with Roza, that guarantees me staying in the United States. I would never be able to get her to leave for more than a vacation." Dimitri said.

"Then tell her it's a permanent vacation." I teased.

"I could never ask Roza to leave you." Dimitri said.

It actually made me sad to think that Rose was limited because of me. I remembered how much Rose had said she'd liked Russia, but she'd never leave for more than a vacation unless I went with her, but I was needed here. Rose had always put her needs aside for mine. The one recurring thought I'd heard in her mind since we'd become double bonded was _they come first_. It was the saddest thing I'd ever heard. I'd considered in the past that the way Moroi treated Dhampirs was a lot like the way most people treated black people. With racism. But unlike the Moroi, the human world had started accepting their fellow races as equals. Why couldn't we treat the Dhampirs as equals?

"Princess?" Dimitri tried to get my attention.

"Sorry, I was just thinking." I said. "Let's see these rings Olena keeps talking about."

Olena brought out a set of matching gold bands. The primary difference between the two was that one of them had a diamond setting, while the other was plain. The had the kind of understated beauty Rose could appreciate.

"She'll love it." I said.

Dimitri grinned and Olena smiled at his happiness.

"Keep the rings and use them for yourselves. And tell me when Rose picks a date." Olena said.

"What if I want to pick the date?" Dimitri teased.

"The woman always picks the date." Olena smirked.

After Olena left, Dimitri turned to me. "Thank you for coming with me today. I know you're Roza's best friend, so I knew you'd be able to help me best pick."

"Of course I'll help. I love Rose, and I like you Dimitri. You're a part of our lives now, and I want you and Rose to be happy. Besides, I've always wanted to do something like this for Rose." I said.

"Thank you, Lissa." Dimitri hugged me.

I could understand why Rose felt safe and happy with him. He really was as kind and badass as she thought he was. "You're welcome, Dimitri."

When we got back to Rose's room, Christian was lying next to her and they were sleeping. Rose had her head on his chest and they looked adorable. I knew they'd never admit to this when they were awake, so I couldn't resist taking a picture.

**Rose's POV**

I woke up to the flash of a camera. Christian and I had fallen asleep lying next to each other, but now I was awakened and looking at a giggling Lissa and a chuckling Dimitri.

"What's going on?" I groaned.

"I took a picture of you with your head on Christian's chest." Lissa giggled.

"You know, most girlfriends get jealous and angry when their boyfriends are in bed with another woman." I said. "You just giggle."

"I know that you guys were sleeping in the literal sense. Besides, your clothes are still on." Lissa said.

"You'd be surprised what people can do with their clothes still on." I teased.

Lissa turned red. "Yeah, but I know that's not what you were doing."

"The banter between them." Dimitri shook his head with a chuckle.

"Believe me, I know." Christian nodded.

"So, where did you two go?" I asked.

Dimitri got on his knees in front of me and grabbed my hands, making me sit up and look down at him. He stroked his thumbs over my hands and looked into my eyes with love. "Roza, I have to ask you the most important question I've ever asked in my life."

"Ask away." I said nervously.

"Will you marry me? Even though there's not a two in front of your age yet? I can't wait until you're twenty before I ask." Dimitri's voice was soft.

I was utterly speechless. I knew that one thing Dimitri had always wanted was to get married, but I didn't think he'd ask me yet. Not here and now. For once I didn't even feel Lissa's emotions running through me, just my own scattered and shocked thoughts. But something held me back. I wanted to say yes, but something didn't feel right. Before I even processed what I was doing, I'd run into the hallway and continued running all the way through it. Then I ran straight into someone. Mom.

"Oof." I fell over after running into Mom.

Mom wobbled, but she didn't fall over. "Rose, what are you doing?"

"I'm... um..." I was at a loss for words and completely disheveled.

Mom helped me up and guided me back to a room. Hers. "Rose, why were you running?"

"I don't know..." I muttered.

"What do you mean you don't know? There has to be a reason why you were running." Mom arched an eyebrow.

"I meant that I don't understand why. I don't know why I ran after Dimitri proposed." I said.

"Proposed? Did he ask you to marry him?" Mom's eyebrows were raised.

"Yeah. And I wanted to say yes, but... I ran for some reason. I don't know why." I said.

"You'd be stupid not to marry him." Mom said.

"How do you know? You didn't get married, and you're just fine." I pointed out.

"Rose, you're different than me. You got my sense of duty, but everything else is from Abe. Besides, do I really seem happy to you? And either way, I'm technically with Abe now. We may not be married, but you might as well consider us dating, and who knows where that will lead?" Mom scoffed.

"How does that apply to my situation?" I rolled my eyes.

"Rose, marry Belikov. You've done too much for him and given him too much to just give up on him. Besides, I can tell he loves you and wants to keep you safe, and that's the most a parent can hope for." Mom said.

"Giving up on him was never an option. I just don't know about marrying him." I said.

"Rose, there's no one else for either of you, you're having a baby, and he asked you to marry him. Go find him and say yes." Mom advised.

I got up and hugged her. "Thanks, Mom. I love you."

"I love you too, Rose." Mom said. "Now go."

I left Mom's room and ran back to mine. Dimitri was still there, Lissa putting an arm around him as they sat on my bed.

"Why did she run?" Dimitri asked.

"She's just afraid. Wait for her to come back. If you let something go and it comes back, it's yours." Lissa said.

"Not to objectify women, but I'm yours." I said.

Dimitri turned around and moved to hold me close. I let him and breathed in his scent. Mom was right, there was no one else.

"You don't ever have to be afraid with me." Dimitri said.

"The only thing I'm afraid of is how helpless and vulnerable you make me feel. But that's the feeling I should be embracing. You should make me feel that way." I said.

"What made you realize that?" Dimitri asked.

"My mother. Consider it her blessing." I said.

Dimitri grinned and I knew when I looked into his eyes that I should marry him.


	38. Nevermore

**Chapter 38: Nevermore**

**Rose's POV**

Lissa and I were taking a walk together outside. It had been a few hours since Dimitri had proposed to me, and Lissa had wanted to spend time alone with me. We were laughing at a joke she'd made when a raven suddenly flew in front of us and landed on the ground.

"What the hell?" I arched an eyebrow.

The raven appeared to be in a formal position, extending its wings and bowing its head.

"Rose... it looks familiar." Lissa said.

"It's a raven." I shrugged.

"Rose, what if this is the raven I healed back at the Academy?" Lissa pondered.

I did remember her healing a raven before we ran away, but it had flown away and made no appearances afterwards. Why would it follow us to Court? Tasha walked by just then, sparking anger in me and annoyance in Lissa.

"You know, she's one of the final three candidates for Queen. It's just me, Ariana, and her." Lissa said.

"Not if I murder her." I said.

"You can't murder anything other than Strigoi. Besides, just being accused of murdering a Queen is bad enough, but it's going to be worse if you actually murder a candidate for Queen." Lissa pointed out.

"You'll always be my moral compass, but can you spin into the murderous south every once in a while?" I teased.

"No, we're sticking to the good north." Lissa smirked.

The raven flew at Tasha, pecking at her head. She screamed and Lissa and I covered our mouths in shock.

"Should we help her?" Lissa asked.

"The fact that you have to ask should give you an answer." I shrugged.

So Lissa and I watched Tasha and the raven for a moment.

"We can't just leave her like that." Lissa finally said.

"What can we possibly do? I don't want it to start pecking at me too." I pointed out.

Lissa had a pondering face until she brightened and said, "Nevermore. Hurt her nevermore."

The raven stopped, seemed to smirk at Lissa, and flew to her side. Tasha immediately got angry and started running up to us, as if we'd caused the attack.

"You know this wasn't our fault and you're going to leave us alone now." Lissa compelled Tasha.

Tasha's face was just like the other people Lissa had compelled as she nodded and walked away.

"That was a close call. And why did you say nevermore?" I asked.

"It was a quote from The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe." Lissa shrugged.

"You quoted a poem just because it was about a raven?" I scoffed.

"He obviously responded to it." Lissa pointed out.

"If that's really the raven you healed, why is he back now? Why not at the Academy? Having an attack raven would've been badass." I smirked. "Especially with Mia."

"Maybe we should try asking him." Lissa suggested.

"How do you ask an animal a question? And how do you expect him to answer?" I questioned.

"By using Oksana's mind reading technique. The raven obviously understands us, so maybe we can understand his thoughts." Lissa said.

"Liss, animals only understand what we're saying based on physical and emotional cues. I doubt he can actually speak, even in his head." I said.

"Let's just try. And you can look through the bond while I do it." Lissa said.

I sighed. "Fine, just do it."

I tapped into the bond as Lissa asked our feathered friend why he was suddenly here. In broken English, the raven said, "Danger. You in danger."

As shocked as I was to hear the bird's thoughts, I couldn't help but say, "That's an understatement. We're always in danger, but why now?"

"More danger." He answered.

"How do you know how to speak?" I asked.

"Study you. I study you through bond." He said.

"People from other countries learn English by spending a lot of time with native speakers. If he's been tapping into the bond since I healed him, his thoughts in broken English make sense." Lissa said.

"So you're saying we accidentally taught an animal how to think in English through the bond?" I was so confused.

"Yes." The raven thought.

"Do you know what danger we're in? And how did you know in the first place?" I asked.

"Enemies fake being friends. Animals sense danger. I watch you for long time." He answered.

"Why did you attack Tasha?" Lissa asked.

"You no like her. Rose want murder her." He answered.

"I like him." I grinned. "But you shouldn't kill Tasha just because I don't like her."

"No, I hurt her same way she hurt you. She make you want your eyes poked out." He said.

"What?" Lissa asked.

"How do you know that?" I'd felt like having my eyes taken out when I saw Tasha and Dimitri, but I hadn't told even Lissa that, and the fact that the raven knew was creepy.

"Bond affect all of us. I sense Lissa, you sense Lissa, Lissa sense you, I sense you." The raven explained.

"But that doesn't make sense. Our bond is only reversed because Lissa saved my soul. You aren't part of that equation." I said.

"Bond work weird ways." He shrugged. "And you important to Lissa, so you important to me."

"I think I said that same thing to Christian. Huh, funny how irony works." I said.

"You and I same. We protect Lissa. We love Lissa. Lissa connect us." He said.

"I really like this bird." I said. "I think we should keep him."

"Never leave Lissa again." He nodded.

"Do you have a name?" Lissa asked.

"Name in bird language. Won't translate to English." He said.

"I think I'll call you Allan." Lissa said.

"We're naming him after that poet?" I scoffed.

"At least I didn't pick Edgar. We would've started calling him Eddie, and human Eddie would get confused." Lissa shrugged.

"Me like Allan." The raven said.

"Fine, you are now Allan the attack raven." I joked.

"Yes." He nodded.

When we went back to Dimitri, he asked, "What have you two been doing? That was a really long walk."

"We got a new pet and taught him to speak." I said.

"Haha, very funny, Roza." Dimitri said.

"No really, we did. His name is Allan, and he's our attack raven." I said.

"He's not going to be used as an attack raven!" Lissa exclaimed for the millionth time.

"Hey, he said he wanted to protect you." I pointed out.

"Yes, protect. Not injure for no reason." Lissa said.

"What?" Dimitri questioned as Allan landed on my shoulder.

"I'll explain later, Comrade." I smirked.


End file.
